I also doubt that prosecuting said art vandals [they were one of the Germanic tribes who sacked Rome by the way – Vandals that is] will do much either as long as the media is intent on turning them into heroes with something to say. The right to free speech may well be enshrined in law in some parts of the world but that doesn’t mean that wilful destruction or desecration of cultural artefacts should be tolerated. After all, the only thing that separates the barbarians from the culturally literate is the Art they leave behind and some artefacts will outlive humankind.
Opinion
THE NAÏVE ARTIST AND THE PREDATORY GALLERY – REALLY?
While pay for play galleries is the norm where I live, they generally don’t cost an arm and a leg and while there are no guaranteed sales, words like predatory and misleading aren’t part of the vocabulary.
SEX, ADOLESCENT RUMBLINGS AND FATHER PROBLEMS – IS THAT IT?
I’ve gone through life as an artist believing that there is a higher purpose to Art – something over and above mere existence. I’m not talking about religious revelation, metaphysics or existentialism but that intangible, immeasurable quality where paint or any other...
THE COMPUTER SCREEN OF ACCEPTABILITY OR HOW I LEARNED TO LIVE IN THE DIGITAL AGE.
Once upon a time I had a conversation with a West Australian artist who enjoyed a great deal of success in his home state, nationwide, and had at least one book written about him. His name is seldom heard these days. His house, and a covered walkway to the...
THE DISTURBED, THE MISUNDERSTOOD AND THE MELANCHOLIC
Federico Garcia-Lorca wrote that ‘at the heart of all great art is an essential melancholy’. Melancholy ……….a feeling of pensive sadness, typically with no obvious cause. He was writing as a poet, but any number of blues musicians would probably agree...
LIVING AND DYING AS AN ARTIST
The national conversation towards A new National Cultural Policy building upon the initiatives of the Gillard Labour Government in 2011 is a good place to start. The five areas below are currently up for discussion and you could hardly argue with any of them. Let’s hope that the current government isn’t going to be a one term affair saddled with debt from its predecessor and on the skids before its time is up or at least before discussion on a cultural policy can reach some sort of conclusion and pass into law. We can but hope, but don’t hold your breath. No doubt the Gillard government said the same thing.