When the terrorist blew up Israel, the Jew moved out and took up residence in the esthetosphere. "What an idiot!" said the terrorist, "There is no such thing as the esthetosphere!"
"Are you sure?" said the Jew.
"Duh!" said the terrorist.
"Good," said the Jew, "So maybe you won't blow it up."
The Jew has been seen lately on street corners making pictures from bright palettes of Godliness. Passersby toss him nickels. They look like well-dressed lawyers, but they are really angels with their wings folded up under their overcoats.
Monday, February 16, 2009
Thursday, February 12, 2009
The New Renaissance will be the age of the exploration of the esthetic dimension of the non sensory. Psalm one tells us that G-d's law is delightful, even though it cannot be seen, heard, smelled, tasted, or touched. The sheep are separated from the goats here: some think G-d's law is oppressive and sin is liberating. Others think sin is oppressive and G-d's law is liberating. So Mankind is not one. Mankind is two: we either look back wistfully upon our fighting, feasting, fornicating, animal past or look foward hopefully to our Godly future, where no one murders, steals, rapes, assaults, scams, seduces (OK, maybe within the context of marriage. Duh), etc.
The New Renaissance will be analogous to the old renaissance. In the old renaissance, the ancient Greek and Roman roots of civilization were rediscovered, and studied and a great flowering of creativity followed. But people did not actually become ancient Greeks or Romans. They became the new thing. In the New Renaissance, the ancient Hebrew and Christian roots of civilization will be rediscovered and studied and a great flowering of creativity will follow. But people will not neccessarily become ancient Hebrews or Christians, but rather will become the new thing.
A key to the New Renaissance is "Lolita" by Vladimir Nabokov. The main character, Humbert Humbert, spends many pages trying to paint a poetically beautiful picture of his relationship with the lovely twelve year old girl. In the end, he, in effect, fails: he says "I stole her childhood." this sentence reveals the true nature of what he has done: it is ugly, and any attempt to make it appear beautiful is doomed. The Philosophers of the 20th century have told us that the 2500 year old effort to get at the laws of morality through reason is futile. Logical Positivists tell us to therefore give up on morality. Existentialists tell us to therefore give up on reason. But morality is lawful, even if it is not rational. We intuitively sense it, we just don't know how to get at its laws. But 400 years ago we sensed that nature was lawful and we did not know how to get at its laws until Descartes and Co. came up with the Scientific Method and an understanding of the nature of the laws of nature: the laws of nature are mathematical. You will get nowhere if you do not look for numbers (e.g., e=mc2) Within a mere 400 years after this, we got to the moon. So here is a possible clue as to the nature of the laws of morality: morality is esthetic. Virtue will always be more beautiful than its corresponding sin. Humbert not sexually abusing a lovely twelve year old girl will always be more beautiful than Humbert sexually abusing her. Not having an abortion will always be more beautiful than having an abortion. Not committing adultery will always be more beautiful than committing adultery. Not murdering, stealing, raping, assaulting, scamming, seducing (Alright, already, I don't mean within marriage. Duh.) will always be more beautiful than doing it. So what is the Method? Just like Nabokov did: write stories to bring this out, as a diamond cutter brings out the hidden qualities of a rough stone.
So I envision a new wave of literature in the New Renaissance. And artists illustrating the gleaming facets that the writers have revealed by telling the story of the hidden ugliness of sin. We will taunt and tease the Temptor as though he were a bull in a corrida. We owe kindness to bulls, but not to the Temptor. He is an abstraction and has no flesh and blood. It will be fun. He says "Come on, every one is doing it! It is just natural!" We lead him on and then, Wham! We open the shades and let the light in and he is a terrorified vampire scurrying off to hide inside a dark coffin. Then we do it again. It is not a war to end all wars. It is a soccer game to be won over and over again for the life giving exhilaration of it.
In the New Renaissance, post literature will flourish, and post art. Post literature will reveal the hidden world of the non sensory, post art will make it graspable in an instant, post intellectuals will guide the post novelists and post poets. Post music will energize the prayers that guide the post intellectuals and post dance will energize the post music. And where will all of this take place? Mostly within the post university.
"Higher" education is not very high these days. It is shamelessly oriented toward making loads of money. Oh, and hooking up. The university system as it is may be unreformable. But there was a time when there were no universities and they had to be invented. So now is the time for visionaries to get busy inventing the post university. Cultural Terrorist is 60 years old. He certainly cannot do it himself, not all of it.
The New Renaissance will be analogous to the old renaissance. In the old renaissance, the ancient Greek and Roman roots of civilization were rediscovered, and studied and a great flowering of creativity followed. But people did not actually become ancient Greeks or Romans. They became the new thing. In the New Renaissance, the ancient Hebrew and Christian roots of civilization will be rediscovered and studied and a great flowering of creativity will follow. But people will not neccessarily become ancient Hebrews or Christians, but rather will become the new thing.
A key to the New Renaissance is "Lolita" by Vladimir Nabokov. The main character, Humbert Humbert, spends many pages trying to paint a poetically beautiful picture of his relationship with the lovely twelve year old girl. In the end, he, in effect, fails: he says "I stole her childhood." this sentence reveals the true nature of what he has done: it is ugly, and any attempt to make it appear beautiful is doomed. The Philosophers of the 20th century have told us that the 2500 year old effort to get at the laws of morality through reason is futile. Logical Positivists tell us to therefore give up on morality. Existentialists tell us to therefore give up on reason. But morality is lawful, even if it is not rational. We intuitively sense it, we just don't know how to get at its laws. But 400 years ago we sensed that nature was lawful and we did not know how to get at its laws until Descartes and Co. came up with the Scientific Method and an understanding of the nature of the laws of nature: the laws of nature are mathematical. You will get nowhere if you do not look for numbers (e.g., e=mc2) Within a mere 400 years after this, we got to the moon. So here is a possible clue as to the nature of the laws of morality: morality is esthetic. Virtue will always be more beautiful than its corresponding sin. Humbert not sexually abusing a lovely twelve year old girl will always be more beautiful than Humbert sexually abusing her. Not having an abortion will always be more beautiful than having an abortion. Not committing adultery will always be more beautiful than committing adultery. Not murdering, stealing, raping, assaulting, scamming, seducing (Alright, already, I don't mean within marriage. Duh.) will always be more beautiful than doing it. So what is the Method? Just like Nabokov did: write stories to bring this out, as a diamond cutter brings out the hidden qualities of a rough stone.
So I envision a new wave of literature in the New Renaissance. And artists illustrating the gleaming facets that the writers have revealed by telling the story of the hidden ugliness of sin. We will taunt and tease the Temptor as though he were a bull in a corrida. We owe kindness to bulls, but not to the Temptor. He is an abstraction and has no flesh and blood. It will be fun. He says "Come on, every one is doing it! It is just natural!" We lead him on and then, Wham! We open the shades and let the light in and he is a terrorified vampire scurrying off to hide inside a dark coffin. Then we do it again. It is not a war to end all wars. It is a soccer game to be won over and over again for the life giving exhilaration of it.
In the New Renaissance, post literature will flourish, and post art. Post literature will reveal the hidden world of the non sensory, post art will make it graspable in an instant, post intellectuals will guide the post novelists and post poets. Post music will energize the prayers that guide the post intellectuals and post dance will energize the post music. And where will all of this take place? Mostly within the post university.
"Higher" education is not very high these days. It is shamelessly oriented toward making loads of money. Oh, and hooking up. The university system as it is may be unreformable. But there was a time when there were no universities and they had to be invented. So now is the time for visionaries to get busy inventing the post university. Cultural Terrorist is 60 years old. He certainly cannot do it himself, not all of it.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
The esthetosphere may be compared to the biosphere, atmosphere, and geosphere. The geosphere makes the atmosphere possible, which makes the biosphere possible, which makes the esthetosphere possible. I first encountered the esthetosphere when I took the GRE in Durham. It was given at NC Central, a traditionally black college. Afterwards, I walked across the campus and saw an art gallery. I went in out of curiosity. It was jam packed with pictures, from floor to ceiling. Being a snobbish artist from New York, my first impression was, "What a huge pile of mediocre crap!" But I was fascinated by it. The purpose of this gallery was not to display great art. The purpose, I decided, was to display as much art by African Americans as possible in order to inspire young African American people and give them the courage to try their hand at the arts. And the purpose of that was to give them, as a group, more power. It occurred to me that behind this effort was an assumption that the arts have the power to empower people, especially when they are in a minority. I began to explore this idea.
I envisioned the arts as a whole and called this whole the esthetosphere. I asked myself what are the limits of power of the arts to empower people, individuals, but especially groups of people. I hypothesized that a group of people can be empowered within, and thereby without, by producing great quality art. But the gallery at NC Central suggested that a group of people might be empowered by great quanity of art as well, regardless of quality. What else? I added diversity. Any group of people who, being a minority, have limited power through the electoral process, can increase their power vis-a-vis other people by increasing the quality, quantity and diversity of their artistic output.
Jews have produced much in the performing arts, but relatively little in the visual arts, in particular, visual art that is rooted in the unique judaic perspective. In my studies in art history at Duke University Graduate School, I came across the notion that "Jewish Artists" is a term usually applied to artists whose work is rooted in Jewish culture, history, experience. Marc Chagal is called the first significant Jewish painter in the west. Pisarro and Modigliani were Jews, but are not considered "Jewish Artists," because their work is not rooted in any particularly Jewish experience. In the coming Israeli occupation of the esthetosphere, visual art will be rooted in the beauty of the invisible, the delightfulness of torah, as is referred to in psalm 1.
I envisioned the arts as a whole and called this whole the esthetosphere. I asked myself what are the limits of power of the arts to empower people, individuals, but especially groups of people. I hypothesized that a group of people can be empowered within, and thereby without, by producing great quality art. But the gallery at NC Central suggested that a group of people might be empowered by great quanity of art as well, regardless of quality. What else? I added diversity. Any group of people who, being a minority, have limited power through the electoral process, can increase their power vis-a-vis other people by increasing the quality, quantity and diversity of their artistic output.
Jews have produced much in the performing arts, but relatively little in the visual arts, in particular, visual art that is rooted in the unique judaic perspective. In my studies in art history at Duke University Graduate School, I came across the notion that "Jewish Artists" is a term usually applied to artists whose work is rooted in Jewish culture, history, experience. Marc Chagal is called the first significant Jewish painter in the west. Pisarro and Modigliani were Jews, but are not considered "Jewish Artists," because their work is not rooted in any particularly Jewish experience. In the coming Israeli occupation of the esthetosphere, visual art will be rooted in the beauty of the invisible, the delightfulness of torah, as is referred to in psalm 1.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
New Renaissance: The Coming Israeli Occupation of the Esthetosphere.
Art is dead. Long live Post Art. Art was mortal, but the hunger for art lives on. Art continues to be produced, but not great art. There is no more great art left to be produced. There will be no more Mozart, Beethoven, Shakespeare, Tolstoy, Michelangelo, Leonardo, El Greco, Correggio, Tintoretto, Tiepolo, Rembrandt, Vermeer, Ingres, Delacroix, Goya, Degas, Van Gogh. It is all over. Even the idea of great art has been abandoned by artists as elitist and uninclusive.
Art is dead. Long live Post Art. Post Art will take the place of art and feed the hunger for great art. Art was sensory. The sensory is finite. The sensory is rooted in our animal past. Our hunger for seeing bright colors is rooted in our hunger for brightly colored, life giving, fresh fruits and vegetables, tomato red, orange orange, lemon yellow, spinach green, blueberry blue and plum purple. Our hunger for graceful lines is rooted in our hunger to mate with and pass our genes on to the graceful lines of naked fifteen year old girls hunting and gathering in the meadows. I know nothing about the lines of naked fifteen year old boys because I am not wired that way. Art is sensory. The sensory is animal. The animal is finite. My cat just looks at me funny when I read poetry to her.
The entry way to post art is psalm 1. I says that the torah is delightful. Wow. I See the delightful lines of the girl in the meadow with my eyes. My ears tell me her voice is also delightful. She offers me one of the raspberries she has been gathering. They smell delightful. They taste delightful. I will not discuss her kiss. It is none of your business. With what sense organ do I experience the delightfulness of the torah? How many colors are on the palette of the torah from which post art is painted? There can be no end to them, for there can be no end to the realm of the torah. Israel can walk into the esthetosphere and set up camp, roast wieners, play the guitar, wash some underwear and hang it up on a tree to dry in the delightful sun (it is january as I write this). No one will contest this occupation. They are all too busy contesting the occupation of the surface of the Earth. Just like animals. My cat does this. But when she does it, it is kind of cute.
Art is dead. Long live Post Art. Art was mortal, but the hunger for art lives on. Art continues to be produced, but not great art. There is no more great art left to be produced. There will be no more Mozart, Beethoven, Shakespeare, Tolstoy, Michelangelo, Leonardo, El Greco, Correggio, Tintoretto, Tiepolo, Rembrandt, Vermeer, Ingres, Delacroix, Goya, Degas, Van Gogh. It is all over. Even the idea of great art has been abandoned by artists as elitist and uninclusive.
Art is dead. Long live Post Art. Post Art will take the place of art and feed the hunger for great art. Art was sensory. The sensory is finite. The sensory is rooted in our animal past. Our hunger for seeing bright colors is rooted in our hunger for brightly colored, life giving, fresh fruits and vegetables, tomato red, orange orange, lemon yellow, spinach green, blueberry blue and plum purple. Our hunger for graceful lines is rooted in our hunger to mate with and pass our genes on to the graceful lines of naked fifteen year old girls hunting and gathering in the meadows. I know nothing about the lines of naked fifteen year old boys because I am not wired that way. Art is sensory. The sensory is animal. The animal is finite. My cat just looks at me funny when I read poetry to her.
The entry way to post art is psalm 1. I says that the torah is delightful. Wow. I See the delightful lines of the girl in the meadow with my eyes. My ears tell me her voice is also delightful. She offers me one of the raspberries she has been gathering. They smell delightful. They taste delightful. I will not discuss her kiss. It is none of your business. With what sense organ do I experience the delightfulness of the torah? How many colors are on the palette of the torah from which post art is painted? There can be no end to them, for there can be no end to the realm of the torah. Israel can walk into the esthetosphere and set up camp, roast wieners, play the guitar, wash some underwear and hang it up on a tree to dry in the delightful sun (it is january as I write this). No one will contest this occupation. They are all too busy contesting the occupation of the surface of the Earth. Just like animals. My cat does this. But when she does it, it is kind of cute.
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