{"id":45,"date":"2008-06-21T18:37:01","date_gmt":"2008-06-21T23:37:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hilbertthm90.wordpress.com\/?p=45"},"modified":"2022-06-21T12:37:00","modified_gmt":"2022-06-21T17:37:00","slug":"when-art-is-meaningless","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/amindformadness.com\/2008\/06\/when-art-is-meaningless\/","title":{"rendered":"When Art is Meaningless But Essential"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
Ah. Meaningless art.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That phrase can make those of us who have dedicated our lives to some artistic pursuit cringe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I recently read Kafka on the Shore<\/em> by Haruki Murakami. Murakami brings up many fantastic themes in a very complicated plot but uses a simple writing style. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The novel drops a truth bomb in the middle of a conversation. I would like to focus on a very often overlooked function of art.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Page 393:<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Writing things was important, wasn’t it?” Nakata asked. This quote reminds me that most of the time artists create to express themselves; to explore something that is bothering them, maybe. <\/p>\n\n\n\n When interpreting a work, we often forget about this. This brings to mind two things. First, maybe we don’t have any right to judge a work of art. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The work could be completely meaningless to everyone except the artist, but it did its job. It helped the artist through something. Who are we to judge whether it is good or not? <\/p>\n\n\n\n Second, if we are to make judgments, write papers, critique, interpret, etc, then we really should take into consideration that the work could be meaningless to us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This does bring up an interesting point. Should we release such stuff? The answer is certainly that we should.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sometimes we make art for others. We want to curate a specific experience or draw out a clear meaning. Other times we just use our art to express our own emotions and it doesn’t make sense to others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But the chance is still there that people will resonate with it. We just need a thicker skin when the criticism comes back. I think Bukowski was a bit like this. <\/p>\n\n\n\n He did his own thing, and people definitely didn’t get it at the time. But he effectively invented a whole new genre of writing that resonated with the next generation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Yes, it was. The process of writing was<\/em> important. Even though the finished product is completely meaningless.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\nArt for the Artist<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Art as Beauty<\/h2>\n\n\n\n