Photo Francois Mori - AP
On DC Artnews, James Bailey replies to a Washington Post review of Botero's new paintings of the Abu Ghraib abuses of Iraqis by American soldiers.
Bailey's frequent (and sometimes garagantuan) posts at other blogs have always been amusing, thought-provoking and insightful - almost art pieces in themselves, but on this review we part ways. At it's heart Bailey's review seems to be saying "How dare Botero criticize the US?". He uses all kinds of rhetorical tricks like "Where are the paintings of genocide X or Y?" and "Well, Clinton did Z" and "Saddam was bad too".
Botero owes nobody anything, and for him to do paintings based on something horrifying, that we have vivd and frightening images of, and that was done not in the name of a tyrannical despot, but supposedly n the name of freedom - in OUR name - for him to paint this stuff isn't some kind of left-wing BS - it's art.
Bailey suggests Botero can't comment because of his success as a painter. Well, that shows Bailey's commitment to freedom of speech - I say Botero's success gives him a platform to make a statement. Bailey says that Botero's numbering system for the paintings shows he doesn't really care about the victims - I say it shows how they were treated like numbers, like cyphers, like objects by us, by our military in OUR name. It's not knee-jerk anti-Americanism to be horrified by what happened. I love my country and support ths troops, but I also don't think they're over there for a good reason and am sickened by what some of them have done.
I'm also struck by how Bailey doesn't mention the work itself - are the paintings any good? I never got Botero, but I don't feel ok writing much about them until I see them.
If Bailey is so concerned that left-wing horrors aren't being shown in art, he's perfectly free to depict them. But insisting on some kind of political balance in art is ridiculous.
8 comments:
Dear Warren,
One of the emblems of postmodern art is its insulated obsession with distilling unimaginable human tragedy down to a clever relativist art trick that is appropriate for display in the sanitized environment of the white cube space – and the larger the scale of the tragedy, the more the art trick seems to revolve around the distorted use of leftist propaganda to convey the horrors of the nameless victims that are symbolized through the art.
My current project is concerned with flipping the script on leftist postmodernism.
As an artist who holds all political authorities - left, right and whatever, in absolute contempt - I find it more than interesting that the leftist point of view is so warmly embraced by the postmodern art elites.
I think you would be hard pressed to find an open right wing conservative artist who paints portraits of Castro's goons torturing political dissidents in the basements of prisons in Havanna being fawned over by the gang of four at October Review or being invited to the Whitney Biennial.
For the record: I believe in an absolute definition of Freedom of Artistic Expression. I've written extensively on this subject and fully support any idiot - right or left - to say or paint whatever the hell he or she wants.
My review of the AP article doesn't talk about Botero's paintings per se because I wanted to employ the postmodernist art critic review trick of not talking about the art.
I'm also not much on artists preaching to the choir.
I fully understand that many Americans oppose everything that America has done since its founding. God knows there's a lot I have opposed and continue to oppose.
It's far too easy for a leftist artist to play into the residual anger of a sympathetic leftist audience. I'm personally more impressed by artists – left or right - that are challenging to such prejudices.
It you view a body of work that simply reinforces your preconceived notions about something, then what's the challenge and risk to your point of view in that?
If my project succeeds in having the right wing conservative majority in America replace the use of the word secularist with the word postmodern art theorist, then I will know that I have achieved some level of success with the project and will be prepared to move on to a new enterprise.
Thanks for commenting.
Sincerely,
James W. Bailey
P.S. Just imagine Bill O'Reilly saying "I'm telling you these amoral postmodern theorists are the root of all these problems, folks. The Factor premium members can cowboy-up by downloading my essay on postmodernism for free. All others will need to include payment by PayPal."
That might be a cool idea - to turn right wing rage on a different target - but really - that ain't gonna happen. I'm not sure if you're serious about this...
Maybe theres more left wing artists these days because to make art well one has to have an open, questioning mind as opposed to the dogma-loving servile money-hungry brain of a right winger. Ok ok, I know that's pushing it...
W
Dear Warren,
I am dead serious. I honestly believe that many potential right wing artists are "scared off" by the perceived marginalization of their work. They don't perceive that there is any potential of their propagandistic themes and content being shown in the current museum and gallery structure, let along being critically reviewed.
The right wing punditry has demonstrated an amazing level of skill and success at the mass-media level of entertainment - O'Reilly, Limbaugh, etc. These people are funny as hell and they're entertaining. The left can ridicule them all they want, but we all know that the left WATCHES and LISTENS to them. Nobody’s watching or listening to leftist artists but leftists.
I see the next pivotal movement in the continued hemorrhaging of the cultural divide in America as being the rise of the right wing conservative contemporary artist.
I think the ascendancy of such a group of critically reviewed artists would blow the roof off the art world and draw Americans by the tens of millions into a new cultural mainstream of avant garde art. Fuck sharks in tanks, man! The Museum of Modern Art would have to undertake another capital campaign and maybe increase its size by 8 fold this time to accommodate the wild crowds that would turn out to see an installation performance by Ted Nuggent in which he blows the heads off wild deer with a .357 Smith and Wesson revolver in the gallery; or an exhibition of photo-realist paintings of Hilary Clinton having a three-way with Madeline Albright and Monica Lewinsky; or the “Potty Series” photographs taken by spy-cams in the restrooms on Capitol Hill of Congressional Democrats jerking off.
Of course, I’m not a right wing conservative artist and these are just ideas for consideration.
The ascendancy of the right wing artist would force leftist artists into caves to hopefully re-think their projects and approaches – similar to what’s happening at the political level right now. Eventually, these left wing artists might return with a new energy and commitment to engaging a wider spectrum of thought and to delivering it to an earned audience that doesn’t jump up and down in celebration of everything they do.
Sincerely,
James W. Bailey
James,
You may be on to something about the rise of right-wing artists. However I believe the art will be very safe and Norman Rockwell. No sex. And violence only to gays, minorities, women and abortionists painted in a very representational way. Maybe violence to judges as well. But NO sex. Rupert Murdock will open a string of galleries in the Midwest called "Freedom Galleries, Inc. and a 10% tythe will go to various Christian sects. Amen.
~Joseph
Dear Joseph,
The right wing conservative artists I know hate Rockwell, love sex, worship at Target and for the most part are militant homosexuals!
I would expect to see a lot of symphatetic portraits of characters like Eric Rudolf - similar to the left's portraits of Charles Manson.
I like the Murdoch idea - I'm thinking the Washington Times could offer discounts to right wing art galleries for exhibition advertising that's pumped up by favorable canned reviews - similar to what ArtForum, Flash Art and the New York Times have been doing forever.
People have such amazing negative stereotypes of right wing conservatives.
A friend of mine, H.K. Edgerton, a well known and somewhat controversial Southern African-American activist and outspoken member of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, has indicated his willingness to realize a long-desired art project: he wants to hang 10,000 3rd National Confederate States of America flags at Central Park in New York. The project is titled, "Kiss My Emancipated Conservative Black Ass!".
Open your mind, Joseph. Not everybody is a white liberal - although most of the artists in the Whitney Biennial continue to be, as well as the critics that pump them up.
James
Dear Warren,
Among the emails I have received, a woman who wishes to remain anonymous (who says she's a lover of poetry) asked me if there might be some poetic motivation behind some thoughts I've expressed on your site.
As a matter of fact, there is.
With your permission I would like to post the following:
For X in Belfast, Ireland.
A poem by T.S. Eliot, written either in 1910 or 1916, originally from a manuscript now at the Beinecke Library at Yale.
Ladies, on whom my attentions have waited
If you consider my merits are small
Etiolated, alembicated,
Orotund, tasteless, fantastical,
Monotonous, crotchety, onstipated,
Impotent galamatias
Affected, possibly imitated,
For Christ's sake stick it up your ass
Ladies, who find my intentions ridiculous
Awkward insipid and horribly gauche
Pompous, pretentious, ineptly meticulous
Dull as the heart of an unbaked brioche
Floundering versicles feebly versiculous
Often attenuate, frequently crass
Attempts at emotions that turn isiculous,
For Christ's sake stick it up your ass.
Ladies who think me unduly vociferous
Amiable cabotin making a noise
That people may cry out "this stuff is too stiff for us" -
Ingenuous child with a box of new toys
Toy lions carnivorous, cannons fumiferous
Engines vaporous - all this will pass;
Quite innocent - "he only wants to make shiver us."
For Christ's sake stick it up your ass.
And when thyself with silver foot shalt pass
Among the Theories scattered on the grass
Take up my good intentions with the rest
And then for Christ's sake stick them up your ass.
best regards, nice info
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