Posted: Wed Feb 09, 2005 2:51 pm
back to Tarantino:
Bee, nobody is saying that Tarantino is shit and everybody who likes him are morons. Linda asked our oppinions, and i gave mine. i'm no expert, and i don't claim to be wiser than all those professional reviewers who adore Tarantino. still - i have my oppinion, and i don't see why i shouldn't give it when asked.
here's the rest of the oppinion:
when it comes to art, you say: who can say that Picasso is better ot worse than, say, Rembrandt. well, they all are famous artists. the question is: can you say that Picasso is better than my little nephew who can barely draw a tree and a house? if you can say that, then discussing the quality of art is possible. it's just that all greats are of great (simillar) quality.
talking about QT, and his postmodern treatment of influence, i'd like to know if you are familiar with his Hong Kong, Chinese and Japan influences. because, if you are not, your comprehension of his movies is totally different from mine. ever since i know of myself, i adored far east cinema. first it was kung-fu movies, then stylish violence, now it is authors of a Wong Kar-Wai and Takashi Kitano sort.
we've seen before how everything is in the eye of beholder. remember Hitchcock and Eisenstein? well, perhaps our former experiences resulted in us 'looking at the same thing and seeing it differently'.
when i saw first Reservior Dogs, than Pulp Fiction, i wasn't bored, but i didn't see what all the brag was about. do you remember how they called these movies 'original', 'never before seen', 'as if a director came from another planet'? well, they aren't. noting new there. just amusing movies made by a good craftsman with little or no original ideas.
...and 'on the purpose of art':
since Bee is saying 'isn't art all about playing' i must say: i strongli belive NO. i think the whole idea that 'art is nothing serious, and shouldn't be discussed much' comes from those who are either afraid that their poor artistic attempts are going to be seen trough, or those who are afraid of the influence the art may have on society and their undeserved possition.
an example: Okujawa and Visocky are, now late, Russian singers songwriters who had a large influence on crowds with their mixture of poetry, music and social critisism. they were often in jail and spent a lot of time abroad because the goverment was afraid of the influence they had on Russian people. now, that they are dead, and Russia is a sort of a democratic country, as a Serbian writer was told by his Russian college: 'they still don't like them here. their courage under the last regime puts to shame those who served it, and are equaly ready to serve this new one'.
that's a sad truth about artists who are more than 'playing children' and society: they offer society their innocence, and get repaid with scorn (see Bob Dylan's Shelter form the Storm).
here's some ideas about art (or 'the purpose of art', i will not go into easthetics here) that philosophers share:
- art is supposed to let you see trough the eyes of an artist, thus being able to look at yourself and everything around you from more points of view, which enables you to be more tolerant, understanding, and to see you own mistakes
- art can convey new ideas and oppinions
- troug art, you can experience different lifestyles and thus have better idea as to what is the right way of living for you
- art can teach history, philosophy, and a whole range of other sciences in a amusing and useful way (not Troy or Gladiator, but it is possible)
- art encourages a 'sense of wonder' thus encouraging you to learn and explore
...
i've probably forgotten some.
i myself firmly belive that art should not be dismissed as useless fun or play. why did communist authocratic states hold the art under their firm control, and why do todays authocratic corporations invest a lot of money in producing and advertising expensive but uttery dumb movies, books, music... if not out of fear from the knowledge that art can spread?
Bee, nobody is saying that Tarantino is shit and everybody who likes him are morons. Linda asked our oppinions, and i gave mine. i'm no expert, and i don't claim to be wiser than all those professional reviewers who adore Tarantino. still - i have my oppinion, and i don't see why i shouldn't give it when asked.
here's the rest of the oppinion:
when it comes to art, you say: who can say that Picasso is better ot worse than, say, Rembrandt. well, they all are famous artists. the question is: can you say that Picasso is better than my little nephew who can barely draw a tree and a house? if you can say that, then discussing the quality of art is possible. it's just that all greats are of great (simillar) quality.
talking about QT, and his postmodern treatment of influence, i'd like to know if you are familiar with his Hong Kong, Chinese and Japan influences. because, if you are not, your comprehension of his movies is totally different from mine. ever since i know of myself, i adored far east cinema. first it was kung-fu movies, then stylish violence, now it is authors of a Wong Kar-Wai and Takashi Kitano sort.
we've seen before how everything is in the eye of beholder. remember Hitchcock and Eisenstein? well, perhaps our former experiences resulted in us 'looking at the same thing and seeing it differently'.
when i saw first Reservior Dogs, than Pulp Fiction, i wasn't bored, but i didn't see what all the brag was about. do you remember how they called these movies 'original', 'never before seen', 'as if a director came from another planet'? well, they aren't. noting new there. just amusing movies made by a good craftsman with little or no original ideas.
...and 'on the purpose of art':
since Bee is saying 'isn't art all about playing' i must say: i strongli belive NO. i think the whole idea that 'art is nothing serious, and shouldn't be discussed much' comes from those who are either afraid that their poor artistic attempts are going to be seen trough, or those who are afraid of the influence the art may have on society and their undeserved possition.
an example: Okujawa and Visocky are, now late, Russian singers songwriters who had a large influence on crowds with their mixture of poetry, music and social critisism. they were often in jail and spent a lot of time abroad because the goverment was afraid of the influence they had on Russian people. now, that they are dead, and Russia is a sort of a democratic country, as a Serbian writer was told by his Russian college: 'they still don't like them here. their courage under the last regime puts to shame those who served it, and are equaly ready to serve this new one'.
that's a sad truth about artists who are more than 'playing children' and society: they offer society their innocence, and get repaid with scorn (see Bob Dylan's Shelter form the Storm).
here's some ideas about art (or 'the purpose of art', i will not go into easthetics here) that philosophers share:
- art is supposed to let you see trough the eyes of an artist, thus being able to look at yourself and everything around you from more points of view, which enables you to be more tolerant, understanding, and to see you own mistakes
- art can convey new ideas and oppinions
- troug art, you can experience different lifestyles and thus have better idea as to what is the right way of living for you
- art can teach history, philosophy, and a whole range of other sciences in a amusing and useful way (not Troy or Gladiator, but it is possible)
- art encourages a 'sense of wonder' thus encouraging you to learn and explore
...
i've probably forgotten some.
i myself firmly belive that art should not be dismissed as useless fun or play. why did communist authocratic states hold the art under their firm control, and why do todays authocratic corporations invest a lot of money in producing and advertising expensive but uttery dumb movies, books, music... if not out of fear from the knowledge that art can spread?
... my main purpose in creating 'art' is to understand the process better, and to comunicate back. i think it can improve my comprehension of other peoples efforts. in other words: i try to understand art better by trying to create some.
Nonetheless, congrats.!