Comments on: The Debate http://www.iracummings.com/tangents/the-debate/ Work by Ira F. Cummings Wed, 04 Aug 2010 12:03:06 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 By: Dylan http://www.iracummings.com/tangents/the-debate/#comment-7 Dylan Sun, 16 Nov 2008 15:08:12 +0000 http://www.iracummings.com/?p=57#comment-7 I didn't read your post, can you summarize what you were talking about in a sentence? I didn’t read your post, can you summarize what you were talking about in a sentence?

]]> By: ifc http://www.iracummings.com/tangents/the-debate/#comment-5 ifc Sat, 01 Nov 2008 01:30:12 +0000 http://www.iracummings.com/?p=57#comment-5 Glad you agree Alicia. Thanks for adding your two cents to the conversation. Probably nobody else reads this thing, but it's fun nonetheless. I'm a little bummed that I wasn't there at that Salmon Rushdie talk…but admittedly I've never read <em>The Satanic Verses</em> or any of his other books. Certainly can't slight the guy for sticking to his (metaphorical) guns. Glad you agree Alicia. Thanks for adding your two cents to the conversation. Probably nobody else reads this thing, but it’s fun nonetheless.

I’m a little bummed that I wasn’t there at that Salmon Rushdie talk…but admittedly I’ve never read The Satanic Verses or any of his other books. Certainly can’t slight the guy for sticking to his (metaphorical) guns.

]]> By: alicia http://www.iracummings.com/tangents/the-debate/#comment-3 alicia Fri, 31 Oct 2008 04:37:35 +0000 http://www.iracummings.com/?p=57#comment-3 I've been continually frustrated about this exact same thing for years now. I drives me up the wall sometimes when people pigeon-hole art as "fine art" not "low brow art" or worse, "that's not art, it's illustration." And those within the art world can be the worst of the bunch labeling 'art' and 'not art.' I know for me, it was seeing Salman Rushdie speak in our senior year at SU that helped clarify my feelings on the subject of what is art and why do we make it, etc. Someone in the audience had asked him something along the lines of "Why did you wrote this book? What does it mean?" I wish I remembered exactly what he said as a reply, but to roughly paraphrase from my memories of it, it was something along the lines of "I'm an artist and I needed to write it, and so I wrote it. That is all. It's art. You take what you want from it, interpret it as you see fit, but I do not write for anyone or any purpose other than the act of creation ..." He went into more detail, and I am really not doing this moment of epiphany any justice here. : P Anyway, I remember I felt so relieved to hear someone in world of art, albeit it a different medium than I use, express that art is that which exists because it was created and defined as art -- whether it was the executioner or the beholder who gave it its creation and purpose doesn't matter. Such is art. Sorry for the ramble, but I just wanted to say I'm solid with you on this one. More rants and tangents welcome, in my book! I’ve been continually frustrated about this exact same thing for years now. I drives me up the wall sometimes when people pigeon-hole art as “fine art” not “low brow art” or worse, “that’s not art, it’s illustration.” And those within the art world can be the worst of the bunch labeling ‘art’ and ‘not art.’

I know for me, it was seeing Salman Rushdie speak in our senior year at SU that helped clarify my feelings on the subject of what is art and why do we make it, etc. Someone in the audience had asked him something along the lines of “Why did you wrote this book? What does it mean?” I wish I remembered exactly what he said as a reply, but to roughly paraphrase from my memories of it, it was something along the lines of “I’m an artist and I needed to write it, and so I wrote it. That is all. It’s art. You take what you want from it, interpret it as you see fit, but I do not write for anyone or any purpose other than the act of creation …” He went into more detail, and I am really not doing this moment of epiphany any justice here. : P

Anyway, I remember I felt so relieved to hear someone in world of art, albeit it a different medium than I use, express that art is that which exists because it was created and defined as art — whether it was the executioner or the beholder who gave it its creation and purpose doesn’t matter. Such is art.

Sorry for the ramble, but I just wanted to say I’m solid with you on this one. More rants and tangents welcome, in my book!

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