Attention "still lifes are dull as hell" (are these fightin' words?)

[rareboy]

It is at the end of the day though, just an uneducated and uninformed position.

Sure there are lots of still life paintings that are effectively uninformed and intended to capture a moment without underlying intent. But the argument could easily be extended to call out ever single picture of food and drink or pottery as being a weapon used to bore the viewer to tears.

And I get that part of it. Looking at every dish that someone has eaten in a restaurant on their instagram page is a fucking dullfest....but I also recognize that they are trying to capture and hold onto a visual and visceral memory.

 

[ShadowCat]

^ You had no idea of how incredibly meaningful these are? Shame on your teacher.

I know how meaningful they can BUT THATS ALL WE EVER DID! And she'd play the same new age cd EVERY FUCKING DAY! And we would only make it through a certain number of songs and the next day she'd start it over from the beginning to the same final song and we werent allowed to bring in out own cds because wed mess up the energy and we werent allowed the radio for that same reason! She was the only art teacher it was like chinese water torture!

 

[Peloso]

It is at the end of the day though, just an uneducated and uninformed position.

Opinion stated as fact. That's all we get from the media these days.

 

[NotHardUp1]

Sure there are lots of still life paintings that are effectively uninformed and intended to capture a moment without underlying intent.

I don't like to think my bowl of grapes has any intent.

If those litte fat fuckers are plotting to . . . .

 

[NotHardUp1]

She's providing an overview of the Still Life which she hangs on the opinion that still lives are boring.

You may disagree, but it isn't a terrible essay.

Harke, I re-read it out of respect for your opinion, and I have to agree. I'm not so convinced she adopted it just for sophistry or contrarian effect.

It is a bit expository, but so are most art articles, and it IS in the Guardian, so there's that.

The piece does do what an art review should: it evokes discussion of the abstract, pun intended.

Thank you for making me rethink it.