The Mind Creative
In her scintillating play “Art”, French playwright Yasmina Raza
indirectly asks the question what constitutes art. The story is about
Serge, a dermatologist in Paris who purchases a painting for
200,000 francs—something he cannot really afford. It is a canvas
which is white and “if you look carefully you will see white lines”.
One of his friends, Marc, is outraged that he would waste money
on what he considers is a piece of s*%t and asks another friend
Yvan to go and have a look. Which he does. When they meet again
Marc asks Yvan his opinion and further poses the question, “Were
you moved by the painting?”
The technique of monotone paintings has been addressed in one
of my previous blogs (Suprematism, March 31, 2013). Does a
white canvas qualify as art, and is art supposed to “move’ the
viewer? In other words does a work of art evoke any emotional
stirrings?
A response or reaction to a work of art is surely a personal thing.
The paintings below might illustrate my point. Both are paintings
of a woman. But do they affect us in the same manner? Do we
“like” one more than the other? Given an option to buy, which one
would be the obvious choice? And why?
Picasso’s Dora Maar Seated
Vermeer’s The Girl with a
Pearl Earring
49