Art and the Homeless

A painting of mine is being displayed at this time, one participant in a group show, all under the theme adapted from the old adage, “Home, Sweet Home.” Admittedly I am pleased, sufficiently pleased that my personal achievement would not need mention (by me), except for its inextricable involvement with the greater matter of interest, that is, the curator and organizer of the show.  Again, it could be objected that I am claiming honors indirectly for the achievement of being shown. To that, I argue that the show is an accomplished fact, one which needs no further push by me to become manifest. The only events still remaining are the dismounting the show, and, importantly, meeting the curator, and other participating artists, at the reception on the final day of the exhibit. The exhibition is entirely “organic,” neither a co-op (paid membership), nor a mark of favor (patronage). That is significant, given the circumstance that the exhibit is being exhibited in a public forum. The in...

When I was a resident of New York in the 1990s, the art reviews by Peter Schjeldahl (1942-2022), in The Village Voice were required reading. They were eagerly awaited -like weekly episodes of a TV drama. Everybody, but everybody, tuned-in. What Peter Schjeldahl was not was glib. He didn't dispense with his subject by a witty turn of phrase. He fretted over it, worried about it, as if pulling at a loose thread. Where is this art review going? I still puzzle over one such knotty conundrum. An exceptional class of artists had emerged from Yale Graduate School of Fine Art. They were making the rounds of the art gallery circuit -and published reviews. Schjeldahl considered the group as a group, even after graduation, and pursuing separate careers. They seemed to have an essence in common, an "-ism."  He tried heroically to prove it. I couldn't see it, myself, but followed his train-of-thought with great interest. What these artists had in common - besides the same colleg...

As an example of the Dunning-Kruger Effect, I submit the scholastic letter grade scale of A, B, C, D, and F. As a specific instance, take a student with a 3.5 grade point average. This student consistently earns both A grades, and B grades. Another instance, this one a student with a 2.5 grade average, will consistently earn C grades, and B grades. The 3.5 grade-point-average student aims for A grades (but sometimes falls short). This student could be said to aim high. The 2.5 grade-point-average student does not expect to earn grades higher than B, and therefore could be said to aim lower. Both students are doing the best they can -but one is said to have lower expectations than the other.  As a student I remember taking a test, or quiz, and feeling good about my answers afterward. Before the test was graded, and returned to me, I expected a better test score than I received. After, I was surprised and disappointed when the returned test results were worse than I had expected. Aft...

The subject of my painting is homelessness. My minor thesis is bad art. I am not defending bad painting, or arguing a contrarian position. I am an advocate for style, technique—all of the accepted formal criteria—appropriate to the subject. I maintain that a conscientious artist must take a good, hard look at what he can do, and after  doing so, choose a subject appropriate to what he can do. Sadly, that is not always how it is done and, the result is, bad art.   Art takes more than talent. It's a matter of individuality. As in everything, it's who you really are that's important. To be honest, I can't fake the truly bad art style, in the manner of the dilettante, which would be most appropriate to my subject. A painting of a bum should look like it was painted by a bum. What to do? I'm not a bum. Any novice can paint badly better than I. I can't compete. I am not being modest when I say I don't think I'm the greatest painter that ever lived, because, I ...