Leftist artistic theory explained

I dunno, seems like lately their hearts really aren't into it. They want to demonize "we" on "the left," but they keep using arguments that were stale even back when "we" really might have worn "black turtlenecks."

I see Madonna has a new tour ongoing, in which she wears S&M gear, feigns being Christ on the cross, and whips men wearing horsey gear.

Yawn.

Wanna dunk a huge crucifix upside down in dung & urine? Sorry, it'?s been done. How 'bout you make an image of the Virgin Mary out of shit? That'?ll scare the rubes. That'?s been done too? Hmmmm? Okay. How 'bout pictures of people with whips up their asses. (NSFW). Sorry, that'?s been done too? Hmmm? this is getting hard.

Okay, I got it. We'?ll have a film of some gay guy getting slammed by his buddy, and while that's going on, the wide receiver in this little game of catch will sing the Star Spangled Banner as a brilliant, artistic slam on President Bush. Oh, sorry, forgot. That's been done too. Um, okay, how 'bout we have sex with holy communion, pay prostitutes to stamp on the rosary beads, and dare God to strike us down? Now that will be a work of art, right? Sadly, it's been done. A long time ago. It'?s not new.

The idea that art is only worthy if it transgresses some perceived social norm is something the elites have foisted on us for a long time.

Leftist critical theory - specifically Marcuse and Gramsci - tells us we need to champion the outlaw over the cop, the prostitute over the priest, the profane over the reverent. In this way the existing social order may be destroyed, and some new Rousseauian Natural Man utopia created.

[...]

The only people who don't get this, seemingly, are the artists. Maybe the black turtleneck crowd has its reasons for cheering on the art-eests - leftist theory, being members of a club nobody else is members of, better quality cheese at gallery openings than at NASCAR events, whatever. But none of the rest of us have any reason to cheer. Granted, life isn'?t a popularity contest. But when *everybody* hates you except for a couple clove cigarette smoking jackasses who tell you they suffer from ennui, then perhaps it'?s time to stop and question your direction in life.

Yes, Al, your appraisal of the modern art scene is spot on. The bongo playing. The black berets. The ennui. Oh, the ennui.

And thanks for reminding us of "NASCAR Man," the embodiment of all that sets our teeth a-grinding with contempt while our knees go soft in fear.

But Al. Madonna? "Piss Christ?" The dude who placed some elephant dung on a portrait entitled "Holy Virgin Mary?" I mean, geez. Can't you find anything fresher than those Giuliani-era transgressors? You're thinking way too September 10, man.

And Madonna (who, last I checked record sales, is not hated by "*everybody*"), is many things. Artistic-theorist is not one of them.

But, as I said, this is getting old and boring. The "Right's" faux outrage is predictably accompanied by the straw man -- that crazy, bearded "lefty" who, because he does not feel victimized by some obscure artist's work, supports freedom of expression, and would prefer the government not be "the decider" of what can and cannot be shown in our public galleries, necessarily must also then be a champion of that artist's work. Nay, a promoter of an entire industry of the artist's work. They ignore, of course, the obvious conclusion: that their noisy outrage is calculated to promote the previously obscure artist and the work they profess to detest. Of course, if it also promotes themselves, well then, so much the better.

Further, I am amazed and disappointed that Al did not use this screed as an opportunity to again depict as traitorous islamooofascist sympathizers anyone who did not proudly and loudly publish those insipid cartoons from Danelandia.

Via the Daou Report.