Vulgarism in the visual imagination

Never image complex forms, specific bodies, and movements which stem out of certain philosophies--ex, ballet, if you are not intimately familiar with them. Unless you are doing it for the hoohah factor, wow value. Why? Because it shows. Certainly not to all, but it shows. And if you do limit it to your sense of comprehension. No need to overreach into unfamiliar territory. Study. Its comes across as grotesque, in the real sense of the word. A certain vulgarity, again in the precise and classic sense of the word. At least read and see what people from those culture

It comes across as grotesque, in the real sense of the word. A vulgarity, again in the precise and classic sense of the word. At least read and see what people from those cultures have done. Be enlightened though their eyes--through their lived aesthetic. This applies to drawing, painting, photography, also commentary, and criticism,

M.I.A

This read on Mathangi “Maya” Arulpragasam may twist your synapses a bit. Perhaps quite a bit.

http://www.tehelka.com/story_main46.asp?filename=hub040910MLAruins.asp

John Aki-Bua

Today John Aki-Bua came to mind. Certain people come to mind when Goa engulfs my mind--a certain way. Many years ago I met Dave Hemery (bronze medallist, 400-meter hurdles at Munich 1972) in Marlborough, England at the redundant church of Sts Peter and Paul.

From the NY Times http://www.nytimes.com/1997/06/25/sports/john-akii-bua-47-is-dead-ugandan-won-olympic-gold.html

In 1972, after only one international competition, Akii-Bua arrived at the Summer Olympics in Munich, Germany. His opposition in the 400-meter hurdles included Dave Hemery of Britain, the world record-holder and defending Olympic champion, and Ralph Mann, an American. His only pair of running shoes was two years old, and one shoe was missing a spike.

But he was built ideally (6 feet 2 inches and 170 pounds), and he had trained with frightening intensity. In the six months before the Olympics, his training had included wearing a vest weighted with 25 pounds in lead as he ran 1,500 meters over five hurdles that were 42 inches high -- the hurdles for his race were 36 inches. He did four sets of those repetitions, twice a day, every day.

He won the Olympic gold medal in 47.82 seconds, a world record, leaving the silver medalist, Mann (48.51 seconds), and the bronze medalist, Hemery (48.52), six meters behind. Then he ran a victory lap and jumped over the hurdles again.

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Kobayashi Issa_sari nagara

露の世は露の世ながらさりながら
Tsuyu no yo wa tsuyu no yo nagara sari nagara
The world of dew --
A world of dew it is indeed,
And yet, and yet

Kobayashi Issa
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kobayashi_Issa

Reading Meaning and "Greatness" of any Art rooted in Religion, in terms of collective consciousness

The Meaning and Greatness of Christian Art by R.J. Rushdoony, at the link below is well worth a read. In a similar vein Hindus and others should consider putting out thoughts on shall we say "The Meaning and Greatness of Hindu Art (leading into contemporaneity), art from a Hindu awareness, or the lived aesthetic through INDIAN art." However, my concerns are Goacentric.

I am at least 15 years away from writing from/for the Hindu side; ie., of course, if no one else does (it is very difficult needless to say), or my interests change even further, and if I do not completely move into oblivion. Part of it is also that I am not a scholar, in the way I understand that form of knowing, and do not wish even a quarter-baked scholar to consider going after me. There are better things to do with ones time. One need more methodology to include of course the qualitative.

But I trust that the progeny of the mahants, our erudite litterateurs both Hindus and Christians, also of assorted high-profile businessman and scholars will rectify the paucity of expressive texts connecting the visual to the spiritual, to the existential, and to lived aesthetics.

Read John Berger's Ways of Seein; Art and Revolution: Ernst Neizvestny, Endurance, and the Role of the Artist, as also Ben Shahn's The Shape of Content, as eloquent texts in forming understanding.

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The Meaning and Greatness of Christian Art
© 1993 by R.J. Rushdoony

Art is the making well, or properly arranging, of anything whatever that needs to be arranged

http://www.artsreformation.com/a001/rr-great-art.html

Sex and Work: Drawings for HIMAL South Asia

A drawing each in both the following pieces in the Sex and Work issue of HIMAL South Asian (August 2010). These two are part of a suite of four drawings which may be viewed here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/venantius/

The entire Issue: http://www.himalmag.com/

Sex and the pity
By: Meena Saraswathi Seshu
The stigmatisation of sex workers stems from misconceptions and squeamishness about sex.

The feminist and the sex worker: Lessons from the Indian experience

By: Srilatha Batliwala
Despite decades of tension between feminists and sex workers, it is finally becoming clear that the former has much to learn from the latter.

The Lost Supper

Sorvespor kitlo boro, tacho mae mog shim naslolo
Sorvespor kitlo boro, tacho mae mog shim naslolo

The Dhanapati (Dhonia, also Good Shepherd [Dhangar]) in this case is the Aam Admi (Common Man) presiding at the Lost Supper---in that cartoon sitting in the the place of Jesus, who presided at the Last Supper. To me this Lost Supper is a meal of missed opportunity, where the Politicians are not loosing a moment to take it in. It is as though this is their last meal with the Aam Aadmi and what they do henceforth will be done in memory of him--of the Aam Admi. That the common man is dead, or quite so--or so it is desired. Manmohan Singh is in his blue turban (as in Hail to the UN) is there as are all the Ballbusters. Perhaps Montek was serving wine.

Christians--of all degrees and digressions, including nonchalants, etc., should have crossed themselves, with knowing smiles--that the basic idea of the Last Supper was being HANDILY and effectively employed by an Indian cartoonist to parody Indian Politicians. Perhaps, we do not wish to see, seek or do not want to get the basic underpinnings of what that line of thinking can do to our Spirits, Spines, and SHIT (help get it all together). The apostles too had their own problems. They were not the strongest folks in town at that table, but this is also not about them either.

If I was a Bishop, I would give this cartoonist an award OR have him talk at a convention on Iconography. That would have turned some tables, heads, how about minds, and yes help people see the COVENANT that a Christian presumably carries within ones being (which is respected by the very many, including non-Christians).

The Times of India newspaper in my opinion did not cave in, meaning thats not a cave in--although it appears so. Imagine at least in Goa people ignoring the paper; that would not be cool for TOI. On the contrary, I believe it meant nothing for them to apologize. This apology is not a double standard vis-a-vis MF Hussian, other pariahs, social lepers, etc., who have hurt the sentiments of other communities--as many see it and say so. The difference in the Lost Supper is that there is nothing that should have offended the most holier than thou Christian. Other than, seeing the general contours of an image in a different light. HAVING SAID THAT, I have more than a faint feeling that it could be only recently that the large number of Indian Christians, MAY have seen the Da Vinci'd Last Supper, the real one This was a sentimental cry for an apology. Apologies are strategic positions taken/rendered by those who wish to avoid the possibility of loosing something further down. They are perhaps laughing their brains out at the Christians and the hierarchy--Dum vivimus, vivamus** (**Lets live while we live [[but in the wrong poverty of spirit]]).