Amando's question is perfect. Derek say great art has a purpose. So what is the purpose of a great film? Miller mixes all film together irrespective of their diverse audiences. If any art form tries to shape the viewer's gaze it's the movies.
In cultural Studies or in Visual Culture theory, film is the number one object of study. Vast reams of language are published on the topic. Universities have large departments and graduate programs devoted to film theory and the like. It's far more closely examined today than any other art form. It seems every art student goes through a video stage (which may be (funnily) analogous to Lacan's Mirror Stage. It's the perfect medium for thoroughly blending high and low, the perfect medium for replicating the commonplace. The movies had had enormous influence on how people think and act, how they imagine themselves and how they imagine others and the whole culture besides. Movies have created reality and then replicate it over and over. WC --- armando baeza <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > So the question comes up; > > What is universal art? > > mando > > On Jun 1, 2008, at 9:36 AM, Chris Miller wrote: > > > Mando wrote: > > > > "I strive to express the essence of the subject > matter > > that I feel touches concerns of sensibility > and universality > > meaning in > > me and hopefully also in others ." > > > > ... and yet..... when I look at his work like > this: > > > > > http://www.ilovefiguresculpture.com/masters/american2/mando/mando- > > > emerge.jpg > > > > > > ....I think -- Aha! Mexican! (and I've really > enjoyed many Jalisco > > terracotta > > figures - there was a big exhibit of them here > about 7 years ago -- > > and here's > > a nice big, private collection of more > contemporary work: > > www.museoblaisten.com > > > > > > > > Might we then conclude that Mando has lacked the > imagination to > > move beyond > > his ethnic background ? Or -- perhaps -- when > looking at art -- > > the wise > > viewer should ignore such possible associations -- > and focus on > > what is more > > universal? > > > > I don't think Mando lacks imagination at all -- > except, perhaps in > > his rather > > boiler-plate, universal artist's statement. > > > > But then -- I don't care about art -- I only care > about all the > > attractive > > ways of seeing the world. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > ____________________________________________________________ > > Discount Stores - Click Here. > > http://thirdpartyoffers.netzero.net/TGL2231/fc/ > > Ioyw6ijl0WsxetrX2FShZEACGvKmJR > > mA81JUsoqMPVJTyVLNccYG12/
