Monday, February 26

Prying Into Oysters

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Michael Kimmelman in his book, "The Accidental Masterpiece" argues that art has a higher purpose than just satisfying the senses. What he's tossing about is the idea that the philosopher David Hume proposed that beauty in art, as opposed to finding beauty naturally in a radiant vista, is dependent on reasoning and critical analysis. People may come around to seeing beauty in art through reasoned argument.

See, if you just look at something, these guys are thinking, and you go, "WOW!" well... you might be seeing something that's just stuck to the surface and it might be shallow. Beauty in art they figure is not solely decorative, nor is it there because the colors of the painting go with the couch. It should have a higher rational for being in art. Beauty in art has a function. A reason for being there. And we frequently have to work to pull it out. Coming at art without thinking is like going after the oyster without tools to tear at the shell.

So, thinking all those deep thoughts... I created this image from my trip to NYC last month. I wasn't after grandeur, or might. I just wanted to see if I could describe what people did to this spot of land. What I feel that people did to it. And since I am the world's greatest expert on my opinion about anything. Well here it is. Y'goddaproblem widdat?

1 comment:

mcmurma said...

Hyper-realistic, a visual feast. That's how I see this image. It has flashes of HDR, but not so much that it makes me think HDR. (The colors, textures and tonal treatments in the upper reaches of the skyscrapers are especially alluring.)

Thats the first impression.

Then I look at the way the street runs off to the right and the way your sign (is that a "real" sign or a Ted sign?) steers you back to the left... but wait, not without taking in some the advertising on the way up.

All in all it makes for a smorgasbord of great tones and colors and strong compositional directionals.

Great Stuff.

-Michael