Blog Seven

Allan Kaprow: Essays on the Burning of Art and Life

I thought this article was very interesting, which was surprising to me. As I read the first few sentences I began to think it was going to be another article over thinking an action or an event, attempting to transform it into something "deep". But the article was not like this at all. He started out analyzing himself while brushing his teeth, not because he wanted to take tooth brushing and turn it into some profound action, but because he just started paying attention one day. Then from then on he began to pay more and more attention to the daily mundane task of tooth brushing. He uses this as the backbone of the article, to discuss how art, more specifically the display and views of art, are changing. I think this was a clever way to show that by taking art into a gallery it diminishes it, and then when all art is outside the gallery it becomes diminished again. Which I think was his main point. That art should be something appreciated by the veiwer because it is beautiful and interesting to them, not because it is inside a gallery, or displayed on a wall.

Lawerence Welscher: The Dessert

I also liked this article. It was interesting because it was the story of inspiration, not the story of artwork already made. This case is particularly interesting because nothing was ever created from the inspiration, it was just that. I believe this makes it a better story. After a piece of art is created the artist has been staring at it for a long period of time, and can now fully evaluate it. Here I think most artists add and subtract from their "inspiration". By saying they were inspired by something they weren't because it fits better with the artwork. I also liked that he didnt do anything with the space that inspired him so much, because that would have taken away from it.

George Saunders Has Written the  Best Book You'll Read This Year

This article was interesting, because we really haven't explored anything but the more traditional definition of art. Literature is a form of art and it is interesting to explore how to critique and analyze it. I think overall I enjoy literature more than looking at a painting, or a photograph, because it really does take you to another place and transform your emotions. That is what this article was really talking about, George Saunders ability to create an emotional response to literature. That is why the author thinks that this is the best book you will read this year, because it is something you can get attached to, or get into. George's ability to portray emotions in his works of literature, probably comes from his personality which seems to be sensitive to emotional experiences. This is illustrated by the first story of the experiences that you go through after being close to death.