The VISION Reader

Someone had to start it.

Hirst, Tracey Emin et caterva are nothing compared to Nero setting Rome on fire or people using the Roman Forum as a pasture. I remember him when he first appeared, he's always been a complete fake. Money is something that doesn't always value things, specially art. Also, money chaning hands is the arts world is often more than a simple commercial transaction.

― Vision, Monday, September 15, 2008 9:35 PM (3 days ago) Bookmark

I really don't see what's so scandalous about saying Damien Hirst is a fake; even if you buy an original, you're still buying a fake-- a scam which is only made possible in a place like poor, gullible, London, with its self-hating and deluled arts establishment and all that foreign money floating around. I do not blame him, I blame the philistines from the Turner Prize etc. BTW I'm not Momus or anyone else from ILE/M. And stop betting, that's a barbaric habit.

― Vision, Tuesday, September 16, 2008 6:20 PM (2 days ago) Bookmark

Go see the Parthenon Frieze at the British Museum to cleanse and educate yourself.

― Vision, Tuesday, September 16, 2008 7:47 PM (2 days ago) Bookmark

I say in 15 years the market for pickled cows and bling bling skulls will be ebay rather than Christie's. On the other hand, the Renaissance painters, Cézanne, Goya et al will be more valuable than ever in every sense.

...

WF Girl, look, spending most of our time in the ILEs and twitters and Starbucks, reading aspirational magazines and whatnot, we tend to think the world is more modern, hip. cutting edge than it really is. Most people live conservative lives with conservative tastes, that is, an honest appreciation of beauty, hard work, visual imagination and, of course, real talent.

― Vision, Wednesday, September 17, 2008 8:52 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark

I have a theory too: yippies these days wear nappies. But seriously, there is in fact a common trait between yuppies and hipsters: lack of maturity. Hence the self-referential soul-searching threads and discussions about who is what etc. Also both generations consume way beyond their own needs and both are prematurely nostalgic.

― Vision, Wednesday, September 17, 2008 5:09 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark

looking at great art does help because it puts concepts like beauty and artistic endeavor in their proper perspective, and it makes you proud to be human and belong to a certain universal tradition, but it's not enough.

You see, even Goethe was immature once. It's nobody's fault, it's a bridge we decide to cross I guess, but with these two generations, sheltered as we were from war, conscription, food scarcity etc I think the comfort zone became too vast, so that we have thirty/twentysomethings playing videogames, whining because of trifles, collecting expensive stuff that remind us of our childhood and so on, basically there's much arrested development in people born since the Sixties. I think you become an adult when you see how hard it is produce real value in the world.

― Vision, Wednesday, September 17, 2008 6:03 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark

Other signs of immaturity: avoiding tough issues through cursing, attempts to be shocking, throwing a tantrum, hissy fits etc.

goole, I won't even try to reply because it's another discussion, but believe me when I say consummerism on the scale we have today is not healthy and not really free, since it's often based on too much unwarranted credit, conspicuous consumption, pecuniary emulation (i.e., peer pressure, keeping up w/ the joneses etc) etc. It's a side effect, but not a mandatory one, it reflects a choice made by people for which they (we) must be held accountable.

― Vision, Wednesday, September 17, 2008 6:20 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark

"people" in this case are mostly middle-class couples struggling to raise a family, not 20somethings rambling on the internet, complaining and drinking Mountain Dew.

this is useful.

take it to noise.