Page 9 - Masters

has been channelled really seem to make us believe that up with strategies or solutions. what’s more, if they
art is dead, as some of its assassins maintain through are quizzed on the argument they reply evasively or by
their inability to produce art of any value. deploying commonplaces: art is apparently necessarily
difficult, and therefore unable to galvanise larger
Some critics even maintain that everything has already numbers of consumers. Nor do they even dream of
been done, that nothing of any interest could ever considering their own enormous responsibilities vis-
exist again. They are suspicious of and revile art that is à-vis the entire situation, or of attempting to invert
able to induce pleasure or convey messages, that has this negative trend, which is death-inducing and
meaning; in truth, only because they have nothing to counterproductive, most evidently for themselves as
say and do not want others to eradicate this nothing. well as art in and of itself and contemporary and future
why, though, if this is what they want, do they continue artists. Obviously, the situation is certainly not a positive
to publish? Isn’t it contradictory for them to want to one, but it shouldn’t lead artists, critics and art lovers
extenuate death, to perpetuate mourning? why did they to assume that everything is destined to remain as it
start dealing with art? why on earth do they continue to is now or that it will get worse. Only if each one of us,
deal with art, considering their premises? Perhaps they individually and through an act of personal will, decides
only want to enhance their own prestige, their academic to set as their main aim that of bucking the trend and
careers, and this is how they are able to do it... Have begin to feel hopeful and think of a new collocation of
these poets ever posed themselves the problem of the art within the social, able to invade places within our
consumption of art, or wondered if what they write daily life in the same way that news programmes, soap
might ever reach a public made up not just of people operas and goods in general have, even by using the
who make art, or want to make art, or study it? same type of invasiveness they have used, then art may
well begin to regain some of the ground it has lost.
Officially, or “semi-officially”, and carefully evaluating
the latest poetic production and the generalised A call to a sort of positive violence means nothing other
attitude of these seigneurs de l’art (who are, with than simply claiming our right to and for our own Reason.
due exceptions, generals without troops), you are Egotistical and career-fuelled individualism should be
overwhelmed by their inability, or even worse their banished, just as feeling sorry for ourselves should.
unwillingness, to examine or even face the problem of what we should always bear in mind is that artists are
the dissemination-popularisation of the artistic product always harbingers of values, and artists are always
among a vast public. It seems that this doesn’t interest their tireless defenders in the face of indifference,
them much at all, for they are by no means committed generalised hostility and incomprehension, enemies
to formulating hypotheses about this work or coming that should always be fought off with stubbornness and

5 masters of today