Art and the Personality Cult

Today more than at any other time in history the art world is dominated by the personality cult. Personality, or charisma, seems to be of greater importance to the general public than the actual work produced by any given artist. This appears to be true right across the art spectrum – actors, musicians, writers, and visual artists are all vying for more attention in the media, and the stronger their personality cult the  more the more time they are given in the spotlight. Of course the internet is greatly responsible for spawning this phenomenon, but it was on the rise throughout the 20^th century. A major shift occurred in the 1960s, sparked perhaps by the Beatles, and gaining momentum steadily from then. And today many leading museums, in an effort to capitalize on this, are changing their emphasis from art to artifacts of the artist in an effort to bring in more people.

Da Vinci's Birthday

Last Saturday, April 15th, was Leonardo da Vinci's birthday, but there was barely a mention of it in the media. Google did not have anything on their home page. Why not, I wonder? Do they consider his work over-exposed? Then why not use one of his lesser known images, a drawing of a fetus or a machine perhaps? Seems like a strange omission. Da Vinci's coming into the world was a miraculous event, and should always be acknowledged, regardless of how often we've seen his work.
Shame on you, Google!

Musical Mania

American theatre producers seem to have a mania for turning hit movies into musicals. The latest productions in this genre are Groundhog Day, the Bill Murray movie, and Amelie, based on the popular French film of the same name. The skeptic in me just shrugs and says, “Yeah. Anything to make money.” But the admirer in me of classic musicals like Oklahoma, My Fair Lady and The Sound of Music is horrified. Ditto for the lover of such great modern musicals as Cabaret, West Side Story, and Chicago.  I loved Amelie, the movie, but I don’t think I would care much for the musical. The reviews have been tepid, but more importantly I just don’t think the magic created by director Jean-Pierre Jeunet and his wonderful star Audrey Tautou can be replicated on the New York stage.  When it comes to the money-machine known as Broadway, nothing, absolutely nothing, is sacred. Mammon rules over artistic integrity in every way. They will turn anything into a Broadway musical if they think it will make them a pile of cash.

And the same is true for re-makes of great movies. There are some movies that are so perfect even the godless money men are keeping their dirty hands off them – great movies like Casablanca, Roman Holiday, Sunset Boulevard, (turned into a musical with Glenn Close, by the way), The Seventh Seal, and La Dolce Vita. (Perhaps they simply can’t get the rights to them – in which case I say BRAVO! to those who own them.) The great epic Ben-Hur with Charleton Heston, directed by William Wyler, was recently re-made with all the latest CGI tricks, and my artistic soul cried out, “WHY DON’T THEY LEAVE SUCH MASTERPIECES ALONE?” Do they think they’re going to improve them? Can you imagine someone trying to reproduce Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel frescos because they thought they could make them better? What an outrage! And what would be the point?

A Few Random Thoughts

Hollywood produces the Iron Man. Literature creates the Ironical Man. Philosophy gives rise to the High-minded Man.

Tomorrow is Valentine's Day, and it has become so vapidly commercialized that it is laughable. To think that our culture should celebrate such trite and sentimental romantic nonsense is beyond ridiculous. Of course it's all about making money -- what else? We live in a materialistic society. But where O where is the passionate joy of Eros? Gone forever, I fear.

On the Sudden Popularity of Dystopian Novels

According to The New York Times, there is currently a surge of interest in classic dystopian novels such as Orwell’s 1984 and Animal Farm, Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451, P.D. James' The Children of Men, and Goldings' The Lord of the Flies. I find this puzzling. Apparently people want to read grim stories about authoritarian societies because they believe Western democracies are headed in that direction. But beware! Morbid fascination with dystopias will help make them come to pass, and we should never, never, never resign ourselves to the inevitability of a world without personal liberties, especial in the US and Europe. So I want to ask the people who are reading these novels --- why be so pessimistic? Wouldn’t it make more sense to read classic literature that encourages us to be strong and resilient? Stories that inspire us to fight against these forces of totalitarianism and fascism, novels about people of spirit and courage who overcome the forces of destruction? If we would change the world, we must begin by changing ourselves, as the sages have been telling us for centuries. And as an alternative to all this negative futurism I recommend the novels of D. H. Lawrence who believed the hope for humanity rests with the individual's inherent capacity for love.

Making Movies

Technology has made it relatively easy for the new filmmaker to make a movie. Now just about anyone with a modicum of desire and drive can see their story turned into a film in the digital format. But this ease of creation does not ensure that the content will have any depth. When movies were made the old way, on celluloid, it took a lot of money, time, and effort, and those requirements were enough to discourage anyone who did not feel compelled to tell the story they believed had to be told.  Today’s young filmmakers have been raised on what Martin Scorsese calls “theme park movies,” movies that rely too much on special effects, imagery, and celebrity actors. Scorsese says he feels like one of the last of a dying breed of filmmakers, the ones who take risks and make movies with personal themes of scope and power. Movies must have scope and power, and they must be made with a passion for truth and a depth of psychology, otherwise they are nothing more than exercises in vanity.

Trumpty-Dumpty

Trumpty-Dumpty built a great wall.
Trumpty-Dumpty made it so tall
that no one could get in or out.
Said Trumpty, "That's what America's all about!"