Even from my first writing from 1950, I have always felt that what I created, should have meaning to the past/ the present, and the future. Design, being my primary concern to enhanced the meaning, was my goal
mando --- [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > I like William's citation of the Joshua Reynolds > line: > > "He who follows must necessarily stay behind." > > I knew the Reynolds line, but the second line > William cites, I didn't know, > and it's also good: > > "It was said that the most adventurous American > frontier pioneers moved on when they heard the sound > of another man's axe." > > Neither line proscribes spending ample time in > "civilization" before moving > on to unexplored territory. I myself can't think of > a creator in any of the > genres who didn't do so. I often refer to the > astonishing draftsmanship Picasso > was displaying by his mid-teens. His father, an > orthodox painter and teacher, > put the young Pablo through a home-course of > life-drawing etc. > > Once a would-be creator has learned what the genre > has had to offer, he may > face a dilemma. He may want to be "new", and yet > intuit that he wants to work > within some of the old forms. In my two genres -- > fiction (as an editor and > publisher) and theater as a playwright -- I did not > want to reject orthodox > narrative. The challenge then becomes how to retain > basic traditional elements and > yet do original work. (Recall the temporarily > suspended thread about "Be > different!") > > Ideally, original work should emerge from a > combination of fresh imagination > with sufficient education about traditional forms. > We need to know what those > traditional forms brought with them, why they were > cherished, so that when we > leave them behind, we do it advisedly, and can feel > our "novelty" is worth -- > in our creator's view -- the cost of what we're > abandoning. Therein -- > potentially -- lies the value of a good art school, > a Yale school of Drama, a > Juilliard School of Music. > > > > ************** > Gas prices getting you down? Search AOL Autos for > fuel-efficient used cars. > > (http://autos.aol.com/used?ncid=aolaut00050000000007)
