२८ डिसेंबर, २०२०

"Successfully making art requires accepting yourself, in Mr. Koons’s philosophy, so that you can pursue your interests without shame."

"'Everything about your past is perfect,' he says. 'Everything up to this moment about you is spectacular.' ... I found myself mindlessly nodding along, as he compares an ashtray that he remembers loving as a child, with a reclining woman holding her legs aloft, to Michelangelo’s 'Pietà.' 'How can that be any less than this masterpiece by Michelangelo?' he says. 'It’s equal.'... He asks himself, 'What have I been pulled to? What have the interests been lately?' He believes this will work for you, too.... "


I subscribed to MasterClass a while ago. I think I watched 3 courses. Really enjoyed David Sedaris and David Mamet. Both Davids taught about writing. The only other one I watched was Bobbie Brown teaching about makeup. That was sort of okay. I think the overall experience is one of encouragement: You can do it too. 

But are you really encouraged? Do you go on to do the things that are supposedly being taught, or are you only feeling something called encouragement, admiring somebody whose work you like, and nothing more?

४१ टिप्पण्या:

Kate म्हणाले...

An ashtray is equal to the Pieta? I must've misread that. Everything has beauty and the potential for artistic worth, yeah yeah, but c'mon. An ashtray's only equal to, at best, The Thinker.

Joe Smith म्हणाले...

When Koons can sculpt anything close to the Pieta, get back to me.

Or a Sistine Chapel ceiling for that matter...

Howard म्हणाले...

Can't miss with Bob Ross.

Old and slow म्हणाले...

Jeff Koons? Really? He is the very epitome of hype and presentation over talent. He is an utter fraud.

MikeR म्हणाले...

My son told me I could learn to draw and gave me a book. I tried it and - to my astonishment - I found out he was right.

Joe Smith म्हणाले...

"Jeff Koons? Really? He is the very epitome of hype and presentation over talent. He is an utter fraud."

Agree...he is the Emeril Lagasse of artists.

But good for him for fooling so many people and getting obscenely rich while doing it.

Rockeye म्हणाले...

I haven't taken any of those courses, so take this with a grain of salt. They look a lot like famous people who like talking, getting paid to talk a bit about something they like. Believe me, if I could get a gig like that - sign me up now.
These videos are of course, a close cousin to those videos that young, aspiring, athletes watched by the score in our youth. Famous sports stars telling us how it's done. Trouble is, that the vast, vast, majority of these athletes got where they are by overwhelmingly great inborn talent and hard work. Factors which cannot be taught. Their technical skill is no greater than most athletes in that same sport, its just that their superior speed, depth perception, hand-eye coordination, strength, etc. makes that same skill go so much farther.
What would be much, much, more useful for those of us who actually want to learn would be to hear from the top-level coaches in those sports. That is, the people who teach those with the most potential to reach that potential.
SO, maybe those classes would be better taught by great teachers rather than great practitioners. Boy that was a lot of writing to say that those who can't do; teach.

campy म्हणाले...

A critic tuned in to "glean" magic? Good thing xe didn't try to "garner" it!

Two-eyed Jack म्हणाले...

When you are actually doing something, all sorts of information and comment by masters turns out to be useful and inspiring. For everyone else, the best thing they can offer is the warm feeling that one might possess a hidden talent for something or other.

Dan from Madison म्हणाले...

Anything worth having is hard work and a lot of practice. You should be realistic with your goals. A year ago I decided to be fluent in French. I have put in a lot of work this year and at this pace should have it within 3-4 years I am hoping (full disclosure - I have had bits here and there since college).

Hard work. It is a concept that many simply have no concept of what it is or what it is all about.

I am assuming that Koons has a lot of work behind his art and the marketing thereof. I could be wrong. There are lots of examples of people just plain 'ol getting lucky. But most of the time, you manufacture your own luck.

Dave Begley म्हणाले...

As most here know, I have written a movie script titled, "Frankenstein, Part II."

I will rewrite it one last time in 2021.

I saw "News of the World" and I think my script is way better. "Ford v. Ferrari" is better than mine.

I can do it, but selling it and getting others to agree to buy it is a whole different task.

mikee म्हणाले...

"Do or do not. There is no try." - Yoda

Results matter soooo much more than intent or feelings.

Dave Begley म्हणाले...

My script wasn't even a finalist in the Omaha Film Festival. Two years ago I went to their table reading of the "best" scripts. All horrible. None will ever be made into a movie.

rhhardin म्हणाले...

We need a master class in Limbaugh show hosting. Everybody but Steyn really sucks.

rhhardin म्हणाले...

I'm listening in the background to railroad radio La Grange (TX). It has a lot of broken stuff dialogue. This morning a tech was explaining to crew why they can't get the train started. It's a software problem with the consist they have, which apparently includes two dead engines in the middle of the load. Can't get the brakes to go out of emergency with those engines in there. Wait for a mechanic to arrive and open and close some valves under the floor.

So master class railroaders foiled by programmers.

rhhardin म्हणाले...

Also a tech explaining to software-aware (as magic but present) crew that you can't bypass the low oil pressure alarm. It means low oil pressure.

Dave Begley म्हणाले...

Just about the only thing that keeps me marketing and rewriting the script is watching the sub-par movies that are released. I keep thinking, "My script is better than that."



rhhardin म्हणाले...

Master class is racist anyway.

Joe Smith म्हणाले...

"We need a master class in Limbaugh show hosting. Everybody but Steyn really sucks."

Yes...they all sound like 'Professional Radio Guys.'

Kind of like sports announcers. "Hey everybody, Biff Johnson here coming to you from beauuuuutiful Yankee stadium."

If you've ever seen 'Brockmire' you know that type.

rhhardin म्हणाले...

Anything free on Amazon Prime is unwatchable, with about 1% exceptions.

J. Farmer म्हणाले...

@Rockeye:

That is, the people who teach those with the most potential to reach that potential.
SO, maybe those classes would be better taught by great teachers rather than great practitioners. Boy that was a lot of writing to say that those who can't do; teach.


It's part of that American self-help ethos. Get Cindy Crawford's beauty tips or Jillian Michael's exercises. Do what they do and get their results. Of course it ignores genetics and the fact that success in a field is not necessarily a result of mastery of the field but personality qualities like self-confidence, high motivation, resilience, etc. Lastly, there's a fundamental difference in teaching a skill (how to do something) versus imparting knowledge (understanding something). Understanding usually emerges dialectically rather than didactically.

rhhardin म्हणाले...

Modern movies have shower scenes without tits, apparently having noticed the formula needs a shower scene but not remembering in the MeToo era why the formula had that.

rhhardin म्हणाले...

Understanding comes from good guesses.

Harsh Pencil म्हणाले...

Blogger rhhardin said...
We need a master class in Limbaugh show hosting. Everybody but Steyn really sucks.

12/28/20, 1:19 PM

I think Trump would be a natural, and a natural replacement for him.

rhhardin म्हणाले...

I don't think Trump would work for Limbaugh; Trump isn't good at explaining. He's a deflating zinger guy, sand in the left's gears.

rhhardin म्हणाले...

Limbaugh had a physical every year for insurance purposes (his partners insure his life). The last inspection has probably expired by now so he's probably uninsured.

Joe Smith म्हणाले...

"Modern movies have shower scenes without tits, apparently having noticed the formula needs a shower scene but not remembering in the MeToo era why the formula had that."

My premise is that the more famous the actress, the less likely it is that you will see her tits.

Except for the Brits...they don't seem to mind showing their tits, even if they are moderately famous. But even the really famous Brits have a 'no tit' rule.

Shame that.

Joe Smith म्हणाले...

"The last inspection has probably expired by now so he's probably uninsured."

I think his widow will squeak by on the $600M or so in the bank.

Even regular folks like me drop life insurance after a certain point.

It gets too expensive, and my wife won't need the $1M that would make the large payments worth making...

Dave Begley म्हणाले...

I want Emily Blunt in the female lead and there is a nude scene with just her back. But a body double will do it.

I did learn, from an earlier version, that no movie will be made that shows an erect penis. Think about it. That person was correct.

Joe Smith म्हणाले...

"I did learn, from an earlier version, that no movie will be made that shows an erect penis."

The internet is your friend : )

Josephbleau म्हणाले...

“Understanding comes from good guesses.”
Well said.

“My premise is that the more famous the actress, the less likely it is that you will see her tits.“
Yes but actresses start off without fame and poor, so you always get to see their younger tits.

ALP म्हणाले...

Patreon has waaaay more artists available to learn from - wonder why the Master Class platform was chosen? Patreon instructors often do YouTube videos as well, thus you can try out their teaching style for free first. Total cost for one year for the very accomplished (but not famous) pastel artist I might subcribe to = $72. And that is the more expensive tier.

bagoh20 म्हणाले...

You know who else was an artist who had no shame?

Tina Trent म्हणाले...

I would subscribe to see David Sedaris and David Mamet do a show together. Or Amy Sedaris doing felt crafts. Even better, all three.

Wasn't there a giant pile of lint "art" in the MOMA that was accidentally cleaned up by the night crew? Did that really happen?

अनामित म्हणाले...

Should art inspire us? We're here for a short time.

We now get the ugly, the vulgar, the soul crushing.

We're only here for a short time.

Bob Smith म्हणाले...

Are these “artists” working for free? If not it’s a con. And I know who the Marks are.

Bob Smith म्हणाले...

And actually I’d do the same thing if I could keep a straight face while working the grift.

J. Farmer म्हणाले...

@Bob Smith:

And actually I’d do the same thing if I could keep a straight face while working the grift.

That's what I think every time I see a psychic do cold reading.

Are these “artists” working for free? If not it’s a con. And I know who the Marks are.

But what is the con? How have the marks been deceived?

Mark म्हणाले...

Obviously Koons isn't about encouragement, but discouragement. When you have relativism in art, when all aesthetic is "equal," then invariably the response will ultimately be not to care about the "art" at all.

Mark म्हणाले...

Usually folks around here can tell the difference between us, but not always. Which is rather insulting, if you must know. But usually when someone accuses me of being the other, I'm like, whatever.

Sai Kumar म्हणाले...

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