Hieronymus Bush:
With the theme being psychedelia in all it’s glorious forms I was reminded of one of my favorite artists who really wrote the book on psychedelic visions. Hieronymus Bosch 1450-1516 created the piece to the right which I then bastardized in the fine tradition of other masters.
My favorite professor told me a story about a young artist that wanted to become a great artist. He went to a master painter and asked him for a sketch. The master painter agreed and handed over a study for an existing painting. The young artist went to his studio and erased each one of the master’s lines. Then, as if to say no no no, crossed out each of the erased lines of the master with his own lines in black charcoal.
The lesson? Well there are several but the most direct one is sometimes to become a big dog you have to attack a big dog.
I noticed this on DailyKOS, one day I decided to go after a top poster on there, not because I disagreed with her but because I had an important issue that needed a spark. The disagreement on KOS got a lot of attention and people were directed to the issue as a result. I explained in an email and was forgiven.
Lesson 2 – this is a more esoteric lesson, unlearning your own knowledge is one thing, unlearning someone else’s is a whole new ball of wax. Picasso told school children that he spent his entire life learning to draw like they do. Much of being able to learn new things is being able to let go of old things, past experiences, works, etc. Imagine being able to let go of a Picasso or Rembrandt in this same manner, and then putting your own marks on that page.
I see the netroots in the light of Lesson 2. No one gave us permission to do what we are doing. We took a look at what was out there and said no no no. We erased the talking heads and put up our own marks instead. But that was most likely the easy part because now the spotlight is on and everyone is a critic. Will we be wallflowers or strong proud animals?
3 comments
and for that, you get a rec!
This should be viewed to the aural accompaniment of Karl Mean – A Banana by Rove.
from another visual artist, and major kudos for the title.
I think the masterpiece might represent the inner dialogue of that mind in the oval office. I have always imagined he kept a good supply of toys there for amusement between photo opportunities.