Page 8 - Masters

The Meaning of the arttruth

Many deal with art in the world. And many of these various choices – and therefore his or her possibility
paint, sculpt, draw and make installations, using of action.
all sorts of media. Few, in truth, aim for or obtain
appreciable results. Intellectual ability, conceptual Those who love art because they feel the need to
lucidity, expressive command, expository clarity, produce it very often limit themselves to this and do
acceptable basic knowledge of the history of art not hone their ability through study, reading, debate
and originality are prerogatives very few have – they and, this must be said clearly, they are almost always
may be convinced, or believe, or hope they do, after the root cause of the poor quality of publications on
having outlined marks on a canvas, or made objects or contemporary art that they would like us to consider
videographic images, in short after having composed art simply because it has been reviewed or written
a work of art. Cultural “massification” (now called about by a famous critic, author or publisher. Do they
globalisation), which has indeed brought benefits, has think the general public are stupid, and that they will
also led to an impoverishing of culture itself. However, devour whatever they’re given as long as they’ve been
the dissemination of culture, which invests ever greater provided with the right prestigious references? In part,
numbers of mediatic channels, has not succeeded in that’s what it would seem like: yes, the meagre, elitist
teaching large numbers of people how to evaluate art public seems incapable of imposing their own taste
and discern. The massifying effect has had a negative through declared approval, or buying works or art
impact on the ability of individuals to evaluate the worth books. This, in fact, is almost always toned down by
of a work of art qua intrinsic value, or even to evaluate models that are not always freely chosen but imposed
a different relationship to art, whether it be ancient, from above, and then assumed by those “below” who
modern or contemporary. How many of us are really want points of reference that offer guarantees in terms
convinced and fully understand that the use of a work of of validity, even though this is often a mere fiction. In
art may not only give pleasure and be pleasurable, but other words, the referential mechanisms of unmerited
above all promote a broadening of cognitive horizons legitimacy works extremely well with the art public
and personal spiritual growth? very few, I think. Mass who, having supinely accepted the present as the pre-
culture has effected what could only be termed an existing, seem disposed to continue their consumption
example of social blackmail on man: it has coercively of everything that is labelled “good” only because it
imposed on the majority what is deemed most useful comes from, or is gilded, by this “higher realm”. The
for the system, at the same time limiting the individual’s mistaken models towards which the art public’s “taste”
4 masters of today