Robert Hughes - American Visions - 8th episode, part 3 of 5

[ricv64]

funny , cause when they were hanging Gustons 1980 show Helen Frankenthaler was walking around the museum loudly proclaiming it sucked

[misternylon]

Robert Hughes is not the last word or the world authority on art, I actually think for some time in the 70s he actually believed he was. He has tremendous knowledge and does talk a lot of sense but to merely brush Koons aside with no more than base sarcasm is truly weak.

Your opinion mister Hughes, is just that, YOUR opinion... and we have ours thankyou.

[melissacarterTS]

I don't need someone to tell me what Guston's work stood for, or how important it is, anyone can see that. Likewise I don't need the guidance of Hughe's analysis to tell me Schnable's work was hyped 80's shit and Koons is a feeble impersonation of Warhol. All this is self-evident. What this is really about is Hughes taking his place as the voice of contemporary art history, as if we the mindless public are unable to do it ourselves.

[jaggerlags]

@melissacarterTS I think Hughes is allowed. To me, if the public were able to "do it themselves" (take their place as the voice of contemporary art history like you said) they'd make a lot more of these specials themselves, they'd stress art in school more, and they'd talk about art like they do football. I'm grateful for these. By the way, the public hoisted up those two artists you dislike so much (schnable and koons) so maybe his opinion against them should be welcomed, not resented.

[melissacarterTS]

@jaggerlags Art, to me, is a world one must navigate through in their own way, in their own mind, finding their own key markers. Good art is always ethereal, in that it goes beyond classifying, categorizing, analyzing, compartmentalizing history into timetables and schools of painters. I don't need or want my hand held. But that's exactly what critics and historians do, they can't help themselves. It's no coincidence most artists despise critics, detest them, and whatever comes after detest.

[jaggerlags]

@melissacarterTS Not trying to argue but I don't think it's true most artists hate them. The ones who do are just loud. The ones who don't move on or enjoy the discussion. How many of these artists threw Hughes out on his ass when he arrived? One after another enjoyed talking. If you change the perspective than critics classifying art are not trying to pull your hand in a certain direction, they're just raising theirs and saying "I'm over here on this..." Like I said, I think it's allowed.

[melissacarterTS]

@jaggerlags you couldn't be more wrong. Critics are parasitic in nature, always have been. It's comical that Hughes would praise Guston, who was unanimously dismissed by the entire art world in the late 60's as he transformed to his late and great style. Where was Hughes in 1968? Oh, I see, in the 80's suddenly Guston is a master again. Please, it's embarrassing at best. Guston ignored the clamoring voices on the sidelines. Any artist would do the same. Artists are the leaders, critics follow.

[jaggerlags]

@melissacarterTS You're proving my point. "Guston ignored the clamoring voices on the sidelines." Exactly, most artists don't care what critics say. You seem to care with great emotion. Hating them takes energy. So if critics follow, then what? That's their role. It's like your taking what they say more sensitively than you need to. Just let go and create, it's what I do. Besides, most artists are parasites of the moment.

[melissacarterTS]

@jaggerlags I don't try to control my passion for art, so don't ask me to care more or less. If I care, I care. Hughes does stir up my emotions, and to be fair I actually held him in great esteem in my early days. When he wrote "Shock of the New." It was a virtual bible in art school. My copy has oil paint smeared throughout the pages. I must disagree with you, however, true artists are the stream of creativity, never parasitic, whereas critics are only parasitic, it is their nature.

[jaggerlags]

@melissacarterTS Ok.

[MakRowan]

not that great was guston's courage. he knew the figuration in his mind was more brilliant than his "intelligently pretty" abstractions.

[manwithnoname123]

it took great courage (and vision) for Philip Guston to turn away from his own comfortable Abstractions and embrace a totally new direction, especially one so cartoonlike and at first glance, amateurish. no doubt at the time he instantly became persona non grata in the eyes of serious critics and yes, his fellow painters, too. but alas in the end, Guston knew what he was doing, didn't he?!! for my money it's one of the best Second Acts in Modern painting.

[melissacarterTS]

Robert Hughes is a blathering babbling alcoholic pompous snob. He seems to believe he alone has the vision to properly place art and artists in their correct relevance and perception. You should see his recent documentary on art and its inflated value; his nose has pores the size of craters, and he tried to paint a portrait of himself as the last of a dying breed of true art connoisseurs.

[MakRowan]

@melissacarterTS i think he is great and has a pretty darn good eye. his recent do on inflated art is dead on, mellisa carter. the stuff he called dumb and all hype is just that. you must be a dealer or a maker of that sort of junk. most of it wont be worth a dime when more people realize how stupid it is. bottom is gonna fall out on that nonsense. bet on it.

[MakRowan]

@melissacarterTS but he is probably is a snob, as you said. nearly everyone of any repute is a snob. 

[melissacarterTS]

@MakRowan exactly how long have you been sucking Mr. Hughes dick?

[MakRowan]

@melissacarterTS aw shucks, you sure have a dirty mouth melissa. i just think he has good taste in art. i agree with his taste in art, for the most part. i also enjoy the way he organized his overview of US art.

[melissacarterTS]

@MakRowan if you think my mouth is dirty you should read my mind :)

[claureic]

An interesting fact is that Hughes was part of the NY art establishment which panned Guston's new figurative paintings in 1970. He completely missed their point at the time. He seems to have changed his mind; good for him...

[MakRowan]

@claureic huh, interesting.

[claureic]

Thanks for posting this.