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Monday, November 16, 2009

idiot:maniac...

Have you ever felt that everyone who drives slower than you is an idiot? And those who drive faster than you are maniacs? This simple truism makes me chuckle and reflect, both, every time I think of it and can be attributed to one of my sons. This whole notion points out the simple tendency of human beings to be egocentric, to feel as if their own thoughts and actions are the rational, the just, the true. Others to the left and others to the right are suspect. This same idea is applicable across the board, revealing prejudices and preferences. Preferences are great......so long as they don't turn into prejudices. Art is full of it. The notion of contemporary art versus traditional art. Those who profess to be a part of a contemporary art movement would like to think that they are a part of something special, something that others just don't have. Traditionalists feel the same way in reverse. When, in actuality, we are all contemporary artists by definition and what goes around comes around again and again. What is old becomes new. Retro. I am continually faced with my prejudice against work that is over-reliant on photos, when, in actuality, there are some really fine works done this way, albeit a bit too controlled for my liking. Yet another step removed from the actual experiencing of the thing. OK. I guess what I am getting at is trying to catch myself in these prejudices so that I can let them go. Trying to relinquish any notion at all of the labeling of good or bad. We all drive at the speed that makes us comfortable. It's all good.