Joseph Beuys is complicated. There is not one word that can really describe him as a person, or his work. The idea of
Fluxus is basically any and everything in life is art. As an artist, I can appreciate other artists and their works, but the idea of Fluxus is hard to accept as true art. Perhaps I look at life like I am human first, and an artist second. The very things that humans take for granted in everyday life is what some consider to be art. I can appreciate this idea, at the same time I firmly disagree with it.
What is art to one person can be complete garbage to another. Take for instance my project; Many people can agree with me that a music video and poetry are both pieces of art. The type of music that I recorded for this project is Hip-Hop. Some people truly admire the music and really enjoy it, while others can not stand the very sound of it. Similar to Beuys, although some do not enjoy Hip-Hop, they can not deny that it is a form of art. Outside of this, there is not much of a connection between my piece and Beuys's style of art.
Beuys has my respect as an artist, but I dislike his work. One piece I just could not wrap my head around is the "Dead Hare" piece. I did not see any point at all in this piece, and it was rather disgusting. Here is a picture.
Your analysis of Fluxus as a movement and its implications to various viewers is reasonable and you raise a nice distinction in respecting an artistic figure and accomplishments without necessarily agreeing with their approach or product. I also like your comparison to the subjectivity of music and poetry that are too broad for others' definitions of art.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you about Beuys work. I won't be the one to say that it isn't art, but I also won't claim to understand or even enjoy his pieces (especially "Dead Hare"). However, perhaps the fact that he pushes the envelope SO far helps viewers accept different, more tame varieties of art for what they are.
ReplyDeleteIt is a cruel irony that Beuys' piece about understanding("How to Explain Pictures to a Dead Hare" 1965) is so difficult to understand!
ReplyDeleteWhat about Beuys' concern about the sociopolitical situation of people and your concerns about gentrification in Chicago? Your approach using Hip-Hop (the language of your time) is different, but you are equally sensitive to your identity and the injustices of the world around you.