by cutter slagle
gen y
THE ART OF . . . ART: DOES IT EXIST?
When it comes to art, a handful of names most likely rush to mind. At least they should. After all, for those of us in our mid-to-late-twenties . . . possessing a little bit of culture is now expected, not to mention, attractive. While some of us may not be privileged enough to have experienced the Louvre up close and personal, the name still sounds familiar.
Of course, the Mona Lisa, the Met, and Michelan-
gelo’s Statue of David are all household names — especially the latter. Come on! A tall, ripped, naked man? Sure, a certain member of his anatomy lacks in size, and Big Dave could definitely benefit from a haircut, but those abs! That muscled ass! I digress. The times, well, they are a-changin.’ Nowadays,
we eat more frozen yogurt than real ice cream and read more stories on electronic devices instead of in authentic books. Hell, we can’t even be bothered with getting dolled up to go out to a bar in the hopes of picking up a little strange, because we let “dat- ing” apps like Tinder, Grindr, Skanker (it doesn’t exist yet, but all in due time, babycakes), etc. do the dirty work for us. Art is no different. Young, fabulous and too busy searching for
the cheapest happy hour, to take note of any new sculpture on display in some cold, frigid museum... art has moved to the backseat of our lives. Think about it. When is the last time you stopped by the San Diego Museum of Man (no, not that man!)? Or
visited the fabulous new Broad Museum or the Los Angeles County Art Museum up north? Art has been given a makeover and now comes
at us in the form of adult coloring books, wine and paint nights and Snapchat features. And, while art is subjective (whoever said that must not have been too well versed with an easel), the question remains, does the value of art still exist? Here’s the skinny (cinnamon dolce latte with
soy), many believe that because art (or forms of art) are even more accessible to us on a daily basis, our appreciation and fondness for seeing or feeling it is now at an all time high... And I concur. Not to sound like some stale, after school special from the ‘80s, but art is everywhere and can be experienced just about every single day, from almost anywhere . . . Especially in Southern California. Furthermore, art is subjective. What’s beautiful to you? What is your art? You may find that bursting purple sunset you witnessed on the beach last night to be your art. Perhaps you find appreciation in an old E.E. Cummings poem—or the modern day version of a
Cummings poem—in Taylor Swift’s latest diddy. Your art could even be in the form of those new Sporty Dude Flats from Christian Louboutin (size twelve and a half, thank you very much). The point... And yes, there is one, is that you don’t
have to be in a world-renowned museum to experi- ence art. The painting is on the wall, people...Or, not so much in this case! If you really want to see or “feel” art, then step outside that city view apartment you pay an arm and leg for, open your eyes and take a good look around. We live in art. Sure, some of life’s masterpieces may be less beautiful than others, but whoever said art has to be pretty? Maybe Webster’s [dictionary] and I need to have a little chat, but to me, art, regardless of its form, is anything whose experience takes your breath away. Good or bad and in some cases,
ugly...art is something you connect with and have a reaction to. Art is developing an appreciation for a sliver of the world that no one else has. Art is whatever the hell you want it to be. Yes, art is still very much in existence . . . it kind of has to be.
APRIL 2016 | RAGE monthly 39
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64