Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2003/11/25
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]If it seems that "critics are...largely disposable," that may be in part because so many of them are so bad. But then, most artists are bad too. (Someone---was it G.B.S.?---once observed that, in any period, "most of the critics were bad, and most of the artists were bad, and they loved each other.") If critics may seem especially "disposable" from an artist's viewpoint, that does not make them so generally, or from all other views. It is the artist's job, in Martha Graham's words, to "keep...marching" (i.e., creating), "not...to determine how good it is; nor how it compares with >> >> other >> >>> expressions." And it is the critic's job to serve not the artist, but the general public. Great critics, like great artists (or perhaps great anything) are few and far between. G.B.S. was one, as was also, in more recent years, B. H. Haggin. You can tell a great critic because he focuses strictly on what he's criticizing, perceives more than the rest of us, and tells us clearly what he perceives. He tells us not only what he likes and dislikes, but also why, and he does so in a way that allows us to learn. That is to say, the great critic is, most essentially, an educator, and nothing is more indisposable than that. Art Peterson Alexandria, Virginia -----Original Message----- From: Kit McChesney [mailto:kitmc@acmefoto.com] Sent: Tuesday, November 25, 2003 3:52 PM To: leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us Subject: RE: [Leica] my favorite martha graham quote Chris-- That's why we have critics, editors, and artists, usually in separate bodies. Those are usually distinctly separate jobs. The first of those, the critics, are, I think, largely disposable. The second, the editor, if really, really good, for a writer, is invaluable. The third, the artist, is absolutely indispensable. Kit -----Original Message----- From: owner-leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us [mailto:owner-leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us] On Behalf Of Saganich, Christopher/Medical Physics Sent: Tuesday, November 25, 2003 11:45 AM To: leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us Subject: RE: [Leica] my favorite martha graham quote Bravo, the reason I rarely criticize and have a hell of a time editing. Chris Saganich -----Original Message----- From: owner-leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us [mailto:owner-leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us] On Behalf Of doug kim Sent: Tuesday, November 25, 2003 11:24 AM To: leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us Subject: [Leica] my favorite martha graham quote no monkeys in this one: "There is a vitality, a life force, a quickening that is translated through you into action, and because there is only one of you in all time, this expression is unique. If you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and be lost. The world will not have it. It is not yours to determine how good it is; nor how it compares with other expressions. It is your business to keep the channel open. You do not even have to believe in yourself or your work. You have to keep open and aware directly to the urges that motivate you. Keep the channel open. No artist is ever pleased. There is no satisfaction whatever at any time. There is only a queer divine dissatisfaction; a blessed unrest that keeps us marching and makes us more alive than the others." Martha Graham to Agnes De Mille -- doug kim http://www.ricecracker.net/ - -- To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html