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May 25, 2012
Mark Clayton: Is Hillary's State Dept. hacking Al Qaeda? Not quite
Erika Bolstad: Temple cancels Wasserman Schultz speech
The Kosher Gourmet by Ethel G. Hofman: The former president of the International Association of Culinary Professionals, whose members included the likes of Julia Child, is back with contemporary Shavous cuisine: Ruby Fruit Soup, Sweet Noodle Kugel with Cheese, Key Lime Curd, Calsone Casserole Frittata with Wild Mushrooms, Sun-dried tomatoes and Olives, Baked Tilapia with Pepper Cheese Cream and Brown Sugar Shortbread
May 24, 2012
Jeff Jacoby: The peace process battered Israel's reputation
Michael Muskal: 'Pro-choice' position hits record low, according to poll
Chris Farrell: Are We in a Tech Bubble?
The Kosher Gourmet by Penelope Wall: PHILLY CHEESE STEAKS --- hold the steak!
May 23, 2012
Tony Pugh: More private colleges offering tuition discounts
Mary Beth Franklin: How to Choose the Right Annuity for You
Tina Susman: The wig wasn't enough: Man gets 13 years for posing as his dead mom
The Kosher Gourmet by Emma Christensen:A simple way to do fish right
May 22, 2012
Warren Richey: Can US group challenge overseas surveillance act? Supreme Court to decide
Thomas M. Anderson: Walking Away From a Mortgage
The Kosher Gourmet by Megan Gordon: Enjoy a celebration of the most rich and layered flavors: Black bean, sweet potato and quinoa chili
May 21, 2012
Mark Clayton: Cybersecurity: How US utilities passed up chance to protect their networks
Howard LaFranchi: NATO summit: Who will foot the bill for long-term Afghanistan security?
Chris Farrell : Earn Dividends in Emerging Markets with This WisdomTree ETF
Stephen Whiteside, Ph.D. : Mayo Clinic Medical Edge: Social anxiety disorder --- or just shy?
Guy Jackson : Victim's father regrets death of Lockerbie bomber
The Kosher Gourmet by Mario Batali: Famed chef's veal shoulder farsumagru: A festive meat course for late spring
May 18, 2012
Rabbi Berel Wein: Striving: The People of the Book's Book for (All of) the People
Steven Goldberg: 5 Great Stock Picks and the Exchange-Traded Fund that Owns Them
Mary Pickett, M.D.: Ask the Harvard Experts: Don't be forced into gluten-free lifestyle based merely on a doctor's false-positive test
The Kosher Gourmet by Carolyn Malcoun: DIY healthy lunchbox treats: HOMEMADE FRUIT BARS for kids and brown-bagging adults alike
May 17, 2012
Warren Richey: Teacher fired for being unwed and pregnant can sue religious school, court rules
Josh Mitnick: Netanyahu's 'centrist' coalition is already proving it's anything but
Steven Goldberg: Earn Dividends in Emerging Markets with This WisdomTree ETF
Amina Khan: Research links coffee to lower death rates
The Kosher Gourmet by Faith Duran : Cheesy Potato Breakfast Casserole with Cheddar and Sun-Dried Tomatoes
May 16, 2012
Carmen Terzic, M.D., Ph.D. : Mayo Clinic Medical Edge: A variety of exercises can help improve balance
Melissa Healy: National strategy on Alzheimer's disease aims to halt it by 2025
The Kosher Gourmet by Joyce White : GOODNESS GRACIOUS: GREENS! 4 winning recipes that are no longer just for down-home folks (Includes expert tips & techniques)
May 15, 2012
Kristen Chick: Obama administration resumes arms sales to Bahrain despite serious unresolved human rights issues. Activists feel abandoned
Pat Mertz Esswein: Homes are now affordable again and mortgage rates are low. What you need to know before you buy
Kathy Kristof: Our Practical Investor Fights Inflation with These 6 Investments
Sue Hubbard, M.D.: The Kid's Doctor: Lactose intolerant young child? Check again
The Kosher Gourmet by Kathy Hunt: Spread a Little Excitement with EXOTIC CONDIMENTS (4 RECIPES)
May 14, 2012
Lisa Gerstner: How to Protect Your Identity, Finances If You Lose Your Phone
Harvard Health Letters: Heart disease and dementia
The Kosher Gourmet by Megan Gordon: MANGO COCONUT OAT MORNING MUFFINS are a bright but hearty delight
May 11, 2012
Jessica L. Anderson: Get the Best Deal on a Used Car
Jett Stone: Forget face-lifts and fake knees. Scientists have seen the fountain of youth --- and it's broccoli
The Kosher Gourmet by Chef Mario Batali: The famed chef's vegetable dish that tastes true to the season: FAVAS AND SUGAR SNAP PEAS WITH POTATOES AND TARRAGON
May 10, 2012
Sergei L. Loiko: Putin sends warning to U.S., NATO in Victory Day speech at Red Square
Mary Rourke: How being a 'mentch' got Vidal Sasoon his start and fighting in Israel's War of Independence provided him with confidence and a strong sense of his own identity
Jeff Bertolucci: Get Home Phone Service for Less Than $10 a Month
The Kosher Gourmet by Betty Rosbottom: Gleaming with its golden, crimson, and snowy white hues, this silken smooth and creamy STRAWBERRY ORANGE TRIFLE looks impressive, but is easy to prepare
May 9, 2012
Sharon Palmer, R.D. How you can reduce your risk -- or delay -- chronic diseases associated with aging
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Jewish World Review
Jan. 21, 2005
/ 11 Shevat, 5765
A Head of His Time: Exploring the commodious nature of art
By
Gene Weingarten
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
Hundreds of art experts decided in a recent poll that the single most influential work of the 20th century was . . . a urinal. Specifically it was the urinal that French artist Marcel Duchamp submitted to an art exhibition in 1917. It proved to be the pees de resistance.
Ha-ha. Actually, the curators of the show were so appalled they did not even exhibit Duchamp's entry. This touched off a furor in the art world. Like all furors in the art world — art-world furors occur rougly twice a century, often coinciding with disappointing years for chablis — this was about The Meaning of Art. You would think that after 600 years or so, the art world would have figured out The Meaning of Art. Imagine if, in the automotive world, the car companies hadn't yet figured out what a car was. One year, they would turn out blimps, another year, dogsleds, etc. The Indy 500 would be a hoot.
However, the art world is different. It is forever reexamining itself, like a hypochondriac searching for moles. And, in 1917, Duchamp's urinal is said to have relieved (har) art of one of its biggest burdens: the need to produce art.
Essentially, Duchamp's urinal, which he titled "Fountain," signaled the birth of conceptual art. Art was no longer defined so much by the product but by the idea behind the product, even the mere audacity of declaring it to be art.
If not for Duchamp, we probably would not have had the opportunity to enjoy the art of that guy who sliced a pig in half, or the guy who canned his own poo, or the guy who had himself crucified onto a Volkswagen Beetle. Now, you may think that this has been a bad development, art-wise. I don't. The reason I don't is that it theoretically opens up the entire field of art to people without actual skills — some guy like me, for example, who draws a horse like this (DRAWING OF A HORSE) but who fancies himself Creative.
I decided to pull a Duchamp — create a portfolio of Intriguing Conceptual Art, and submit it to a genuine expert.
Here is my portfolio:
•Build an art museum in the shape of a urinal.
• Build a urinal in the shape of an art museum.
• Exhibit a Venus flytrap that was raised entirely on meat from a pig that had been raised on meat from a bear that was killed after eating a human.
•Turn on an ambulance siren in a small, glass-windowed room. Also in the room are a half-dozen deaf people, who play cards, read books, etc., oblivious to the 120-decibel noise.
•Place hundreds of smiley face buttons, Beanie Babies and My Little Pony products into a coffin.
•Create two locked boxes, each containing the other's key. Then throw them both into the deepest part of the Pacific Ocean.
•Obtain an enormous observatory telescope, capable of distinguishing 5-foot-wide craters on Mars. Then position it so it is permanently focused on the "woman" symbol on a bathroom door in the museum.
•Build a realistic, Old-West-style scaffold from which you hang — with its head through the noose — a giant Tootsie Roll Pop.
• Stuff a punching bag with $30,000 Faberge eggs, and hang it from the gallery ceiling at eye level. Before viewers are permitted to look at it, they must put on boxing gloves.
•Exhibit a TV set that is continuously playing some of the greatest dramas in history: Olivier's "Hamlet," "Schindler's List," "Casablanca," etc. Overlaid on each, however, is a laugh track lifted from old "Leave It to Beaver" episodes.
•Steal the Mona Lisa from the Louvre, and destroy it with hole-punchers, toenail clippers and a red-hot cigarette lighter from a car. Then place the vandalized masterpiece, frame and all, inside a larger frame, and exhibit it.
I read these ideas to Jonathan P. Binstock, curator of contemporary art at the Corcoran Gallery of Art. What did he think? Were they any good?
He wouldn't exactly commit. But he did talk for 25 minutes, and said this:
"The interesting question is not what can be a work of art. The interesting question is why you want to do it."
Also: "There's something true about your effort."
Also: "Cynicism is one of the default positions in art."
Also: "One of the great post-Duchampian artists is Maurizio Catalan. He's a smartass, too."
Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in Washington and the media consider "must-reading". Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.
Gene Weingarten writes the Below the Beltway humor column for The Washington Post. To comment, please click here.
01/11/05: You can't buy this kind of PR ... But then, you wouldn't want to
© 2005 WPWG
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