What makes something good?
No, this is not a post on the difference between good and evil, although I of course am obviously good and everything that opposes me is therefor clearly evil, this is a post about the difference between brilliant art and art that is anything else. I take art very liberally, I mean books, music, movies, food, paintings and pretty much anything conceived in a singular expression of creativity representing the maker’s intentions.
One of my previous posts is partially about a book, a book that I remembered while talking to a friend a few days back, even when I read it over ten years ago. What made that book so memorable?
What makes any true piece of art memorable? What is it about the Mona Lisa that enchanted hundreds of thousands of people? (Although I must say that the only thing I remember about it is that it was sooooo freakin’ small)
I was “forced” to watch Rocky III a few years back, according to the man person on my couch, the best out of the series. After it was finished, he congratulated me on “watching” (read sitting down while it was on) an entire Rocky movie. It was total crap. I must admit, I didn’t watch the whole movie attentively, every time I paid actual attention, the movie annoyed me. Even the boxing looked fake to me. For all of that, I will remember the movie, not because it was good, and probably not even that in ten years.
On the other hand, I think that the pieces of art I actually remember 20 years after seeing them, like a buste of a veiled woman, I once saw in I think Switzerland, with I think my mum and my grandmother, is a true piece of art, because it literally changed my perception of beauty, it changed my view of marble, I learned that marble can be transparent.
(I tried to look for pictures of that buste, but this is the closest I got, a marvelous piece of art by Giuseppe Croff)
It’s one of those things that leave a permanent impression, just because of the beauty, and the apparent effortlessness of the artist’s work, resulting in what is obviously a masterpiece, standing in front of you.
I can’t imagine ever liking a movie like Rocky, but others consider it the embodiment of the perfect action movie.
I can imagine that someone who is attracted to the action in such a movie is bored to tears by something that profoundly moves me for aesthetic reasons.
William Shakespeare wrote: “Beauty is bought by judgement of the eye”, which I think rings more true than the better known “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder”.
The beauty that makes us appreciate art is a fleeting commodity. By opening ourselves up to the impressions that lay in wait all around us we might learn to recognize and value art more actively rather than passively. With that we can make any art good art, just by appreciating the effort, the craftsmanship and hopefully a combination of those ;-) We can decide to appreciate something.
Maybe I should give Rocky another go. Then again, maybe not ;-)
With many thanks to Wi11ow for helping me change my mangled draft into the post you’ve just read.
2 comments
Permalink1
Nice video to insert into that piece: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PrdRrAjpcDM
Permalink2
I’m sceptic to say the least.
It strikes me as odd how you don’t see him in full while most of the painting is done, and at least one adult who is video taping him is moving around *with* his harm.
I would be a lot less sceptic if I could see him entirely, fast forwarded through making the picture.
That being said, I *love* pointillism, but in this particular case it’s rather simple for an adult and very intricate compared to what other children that age would paint. This is only remarkable if the kid really does all the painting. and the creative process that precedes it, himself. Otherwise it’s “only” a nice effort in my eyes.