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Hanging at Home. Artists: Do you hang your own work at home? I am not referring to work in your studio or paintings in progress. I am wondering if you decorate with your own art. Although this has occasionally come up in casual conversation, I have never seen it addressed in an article. Artist / bloggers write about storing work, showing work, selling work…but not living with their work.
One of my few conversations on this subject was with an artist who occasionally paints near me in workshops. I asked him The Question. He said he only hangs a painting up in his home when he needs to look at it critically as he paints. I thought this was interesting. But what was more interesting were his additional comments. Except for a painting-in-progress, he doesn’t put anything on his walls. Nothing. Art at home is too distracting for his art practice. He also has no television. But he did assure me that he does look at art when he’s out and about, but not at home.
Well, I too, have none of my work hanging on our walls. At one time I did have my large painting hanging above the fireplace. It was the perfect size for the spot. But after a while, we replaced it with a similar size oil painting by a local artist. Over the years our walls have filled with paintings by other artists, street art from travels, children’s art, posters, and masks. I just can’t imagine hanging my own work.
The absence of my own paintings in our living space is not due to false modesty. I like my paintings. In fact, I enjoy taking folks into my “studio” and letting them look at the walls and go through stored work. But I want to be surrounded by the work of others. Furthermore, I share this home with my husband. And, although I am the dominant decorator, throughout the years we have enjoyed selecting art and stuff together. Our home is a joint project.
I understand that these same circumstances, the desire to adorn our homes with beautiful things, can reasonably inspire an artist to share and enjoy her own art in her own personal space. The art is there. It can be rotated for continued variety. Art in situ is certainly more meaningful than art in a gallery. Finally, hanging one’s own inventory saves money and storage space.
So, Artists, do you hang your work at home? Art Lovers, do you expect to see your Artist Friend’s work when visiting his home?
Beauty. Several months ago I received an email from an artist friend that simply contained a link https://vimeo.com/55972972. It turned out to be a BBC video featuring a man named Roger Scruton who, in a cultured British accent, discusses “Beauty”. The subtitles do not ease the English divide, as they are in Romanian! But, language is the least of the challenges. Scruton is an English philosopher specializing in aesthetics. His basic tenant is that beauty stopped being important in the twentieth century.
Scruton’s case rests on his concept of beauty, which is unapologetically traditional. Historically, beauty was expressed in various periods by the Divine, the human form, and nature. In his view, history shows us that there are enduring standards of beauty. Beauty is harmonious and restful. It offers moments of contemplation and gives us a glimmer of a higher world. Beauty is an experience that requires no explanation. Scruton believes that the need for beauty is something deep in our nature.
He laments that beauty has been replaced by a cult of ugliness, utilitarianism, and originality. For example, he believes that Marcel Duchamp’s Urinal mocks the world of art, leading to an art movement that treats life in demeaning ways. Architecture abandoned decoration and human proportion for “form follows function,” 1950’s cement blocks, followed by glass and steel structures. All bad. We live in an age of bad manners, vandalism, and consumerism. The purpose of art today is to share ugliness.
Scruton does not ignore today’s reality. He believes that the goal is to find a place where the real and the ideal can live in harmony. Art can present horror and death with dignity, compassion, and nobility. Even in a difficult world, we can find consolation in beauty. I think of Guernica and murals depicting social issues.
I found Scruton’s aesthetic discussion very thought provoking. There is no doubt that beauty is restorative. There is no doubt that there is a plethora of superficial art. However, Scruton does not appear to make any effort to apply his standard of beauty to contemporary art forms. His personal taste eclipses his own definition of beauty. Furthermore, I would guess that the concept of good, utilitarian design is incomprehensible to Scruton. And finally, is beauty the only legitimate artistic response to anger, discontent, or injustice?
What are your thoughts?
