Why is Art?

So, we went to the Los Angles Art Show today-downtown at the Convention Center. So-and-so was debuting their brand-new whositwhatsit, and we simply had to buy one before the Jonses did. So, with briefcases full of cash and, regrettably, a nose full of snot, we bumpered my little car downtown.

I've seen enough pastel, ink, bronze, marker, watercolor, negative, twine, chalk, marble, plaster, etc., in my life to begin to have some opinions about the art world. Maybe, more specifically, the gallery world. I'm never going to be one who is up on the latest trends-touting the catastrophic deconstruction of the found-pop movement by nonchalance of the escapism movements. You probably won't find me with a glass of red, meditating (out loud) about the NEED for blood on a canvas, or some such absurdity. I don't mean to sound pithy or snobby or anything, it's just that, when it comes to art, I know what I like, and it doesn't flow much deeper than that. I like art that tells a story that I've heard in my brain, but never seen in the world. I like art that whispers to me-that encourages me to be different . . . art that challanges me in a language that I can understand. I'm a lazy critic-I like what I can understand. And what I love about art is:

Everything we saw today, wheather I liked it or not, affects somebody. That the thunderstruck moments that I have with a certain sculpture is the same moment some stranger is sharing with the self-flagutuling boar painting that walked right past. Fascinating isn't it? None of us ever experience art in exactally the same way. There are some constants, of course, but none of them are universal. I realize that this isn't a revolutionary thought, but I do find it to be fascinating.

There were, in fact, many folks there to ACTUALLY buy. . . which is another fascinating realm . . . what is the value of art? Personally, I can't imagine spending the type of cash I heard bandied about today. The walls and shelves in our humble abode are graced by art that we, or our friends have produced. But how do you put a price tag on an emotional response? Is it in the same realm of say, prostitution, or a day at the spa? I realize that there is a population out there that builds collections-that art can be an investment. But what of the art-lover who falls in love with a certain painting? That type of purchase should be covered by medical insurance . . . because the right piece of art to the right eyes can be medicine.

Saw a lot of great stuff today. I'm so happy that people are moved to create!