Reflecting myself
The other day I formulated an old thought in a new way: it’s funny - strange - wonderful - and natural - that the brain is biologically logical. As in, whatever the contents of your mind, your feelings and actions flow logically and consistently from them. On the surface, I see no reason why this must necessarily be the case, in terms of biology or evolution. Of course, so much as disturb the surface with a question, and a half-dozen potential answers jump readily to mind. But that’s another thought-tangent, and another blog.
Along those lines, I note with interest how my interests and preferences in art change over time. Today I went to The Met, for probably the third time in my life. In past years, I spent the most time in the European Paintings section, with Degas and Rembrandt and David and Renoir and Rodin, and wandered dutifully through the various other continental and ethnic exhibitions. I was usually most bored by the American art. It all seemed woefully familiar, trite, and dull, and felt like a visual recap of my high school history textbook. Supremely uninteresting.
Today I planned to view those same sections again, and see if and how my reactions differed. I have clearer, more purposeful preferences in art these days (among other things), and I wondered if they were established enough to elicit new emotional reactions to art, if they were strong enough to override old preferences - basically how the old and the new play out in my current life.
First I got side-tracked by a special exhibit on Girodet (1767-1824), a French painter who trained with, and eventually spurned, the neo-classicist painter Jaques-Louis David (quite famous for the Death of Marat, and Oath of the Horatii, among other things.) It was a huge collection on display. I’m always impressed by a superb command of the human form, facility with oil paint (a la Ingres), and use of line drawing. I wasn’t enamored with his attitude and motivations, as portrayed in the program and placards available, and in his choice of subject matter and rendering. But I am a sucker for technique and lighting, and in this respect I enjoyed many of his works.
In terms of light and lighting, these caught my eye:
Burial of Atala
Endymion Asleep
The Apotheosis of French Heroes
As far as oil painting and portraiture goes, these I liked:
Danae (or, Mlle Lange as Danae)
Napoleon in Coronation Attire (and detail)
Girod_tile.jpg)
As for his drawings, like nearly every other artist save daVinci, they’re really hard to find outside of museums, probably because they’re usually preparations and studies for larger works. All Google turned up was this one by Girodet:
The ability to take a pencil and piece of paper and catch some essentially human quality in two dimensions somehow rivets me. I love drawings, whether with pencil, charcoal, crayon, touched up with watercolors, etchings and engravings (since they rely solely on lines), etc. I dislike John Singer Sargeant’s paintings, for which he is famous. I could stare at just the ankle of one of his drawn figures for upwards of an hour though. Absolutely captivating and beautiful.
By Sargeant:
li>
Since logic is non-contradictory identification, and the universe, by its nature, is integrated [else it could not function] - obviously the brain is biologically logical…
Comment by anonrobt — June 11, 2006 @ 3:08 pm
Yes, quite. I think the surprise is the product of seeing logic as a conceptual *discovery* - it’s rather recent in that it’s a discovery that occurs at a particular moment (or moments) in history, but it’s an ahistorical fact in that it is a discovery, rather than an invention. I think most people see it as an invention. Again, it’s a contrast of development and innate processes (which are quite old), and identification of those as such (which is quite new) - a lovely jumping back and forth between the given and the realization of the given.
Comment by praxical — June 11, 2006 @ 4:11 pm
Robert, according to your second assupmtion, would the universe allow the existence of anything illogical?
Comment by Vladimir — June 12, 2006 @ 12:51 pm