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This is certainly off the topic, but I am intrigued by your statement. I know from your many previous posts that you are anything but "unwashed". You have a great deal of interest to say.
I wonder have you ever been curious about modern or contemporary art? Clearly a lot of art, modern or otherwise, is NOT about beauty or showing off technical mastery. It often takes more than wondering or wandering to make sense out of something different. It just seems incredible that so many people just don't bother to try to understand what art is about and why mankind has spent so many hours in its pursuit. Of course there is another way besides study. You can pick up a brush or select another medium and try to communicate artistically. It does not take long to become absorbed and to start to see what different artists have tried to communicate.
In general, it is true that I am not among the "unwashed", but in terms of art I think I am. Most of us have stronger and weaker areas in our erudition and general knowledge. Art is a weak area for me.
Yes, I am very curious about modern/contemporary art. I am curious as hell how anyone could be interested in it, and what some people see it in. Either it looks like some one turned a chimpanzee loose with a bunch of paints, or it's something anyone could do. Heck, I could hang some garbage can lids on a wall and claim it's a representation of urban angst. That's not art, in my book.
But I can relate to the Renaissance and 17th and 18th century masters, for example.
Will I be "active?" I aim to, to try and push back the stress damage and exhaustion of my work years. I will be actively searching out volunteer activities to meet people and become part of the community. .
This is part of my definition of being active. Being involved with people and the community (however you define community). Getting out of the house and doing stuff. Being physically active-for me that would be biking, hiking, skiing and carrying heavy stuff. Much better for me than a gym, which I found to be tedious. We live in the country-8 miles from town and It got old to drive into town to spend an hour at the gym.
You live longer if you are active. I'm trying to limit the time we sit down and surf the net.
Sitting down and surfing the net is a perfectly acceptable act. You can research and learn a great deal that way. I am on it about 12 hours a day, before the net I used to be at the library researching whatever my current interest at the time was.
Also I have always had a sedentary lifestyle and I prefer it, which is good since I am physically unable to do otherwise.
I think the OP is judging others by his own standard which is completely unfair.
This is part of my definition of being active. Being involved with people and the community (however you define community).
Well, since I'm moving to a town of 900 people and there are 4,000 in the whole county (no wonder they needed that one traffic light!) I think of the community as everybody. I'm not a church person but apparently most of the townspeople are not. I want to patronize local business and farmers market as much as possible, volunteer with activities in the town, and attend the many fundraisers that seem to be the social gatherings (although will not be doing the 100-mile bike ride to raise money for whatever!).
I don't think that I have more things to add to jazzcat22 excellent #5 post.
I just want to add my personal experience with regards to visiting museums.
My husband and I have always loved to visit museums and rarely missed seeing one in all the major cities which we have visited.
My husband used to paint and draw a lot before we were married. As a matter of fact, I was quite impressed when he gave me a painting for a Christmas gift when we first dated. I was quite good at paintings and drawings while in high school (even got few selected for contests) but I am too impatient to be an artist.
I had always loved visiting museums before but under his influence, I took few courses in Art History and Art Appreciation, and made a point of learning about museum exhibitions before a visit. My subsequent visits were enhanced greatly. I could spend hours being at an art museums admiring the paintings, the compositions, the colors, the exquisite details, the incredible skills of the painters. Besides the pleasing visuals, the paintings made me think of many subjects (cultural/societal changes, human emotions, psychology, philosophy, history, nature, weather, geography, geology, travel etc.). The museums are great places for learning not only about the world, others but sometimes about yourself. Some great paintings make you reassess your view of the world, your relationship with others, animals, nature. My life is enriched by museum visits and other 'passive' activities like reading or just wandering around with my dog in the wood!
Regarding modern art, I had opinions similar like E.R's until that one transformational moment while I was standing in front of the Guernica by Picasso at MoMA in 1978 (we were on our delayed honeymoon trip - we spent the weeks after our wedding in 1977 building two brick fireplaces in our new home. I am definitely more a doer than a passive viewer).
The huge painting depicting the agony of war hit my emotional core like a ton of brick. I was transfixed and mesmerized by the bold strokes, big swath of black paints, angular blocks of agonizing human, animal heads and body parts. I had seen many war paintings before, all traditionally and realistically depicted. None of them had left me with such an impression, such an impact.
Years later, we saw the Guernica again at Rena Sofia Museum in Madrid. Seeing the painting in its home country where the actual horror took place was even more impactful. We greatly enjoyed our trip to Spain but viewing this painting again was the most poignant and memorable moment.
My view of abstracts and modern arts had changed from my early days of museum visits. If anything, I now find realistic paintings boring. While I don't enjoy some pieces of contemporary arts, I always find them thought provoking and quite a few had stirred up interesting emotions and thoughts.
Sitting down and surfing the net is a perfectly acceptable act. You can research and learn a great deal that way. I am on it about 12 hours a day, before the net I used to be at the library researching whatever my current interest at the time was.
Also I have always had a sedentary lifestyle and I prefer it, which is good since I am physically unable to do otherwise.
I think the OP is judging others by his own standard which is completely unfair.
Oh for the love of Pete! Yet another accusative posting. Go back and read the OP, he gave his ideas and opinions, he did not condemn people who do otherwise to some retirement version of Hell.
The discussion started off fine until someone jumped and screamed "You're judging!!!" instead of participating in what had been a discussion. It seems lately that a lot of people on C-D sandpaper their psyches before they sit down to read.
You had a good posting going until you lobbed in the spitball. Your point that your activities are sedentary because you are "physically unable to do otherwise" rang a bell with me who has been rapidly losing the ability to walk. Decreasing ability to be physically active would probably ring a bell with many aging retirees, and what can be found in sedentary activities could have been a thoughtful, and even helpful, contribution to the thread.
But instead it ends in another bah-wah-wah accusation of "Witch! Witch!"
Oh for the love of Pete! Yet another accusative posting. Go back and read the OP, he gave his ideas and opinions, he did not condemn people who do otherwise to some retirement version of Hell.
Actually, he kind of did. Excuse me while I whip this out...
Doing things allows us to learn, create, grow and accomplish. Passively watching can be enjoyable but involves none of those.
"You poor inferior simpletons, just living life for your own enjoyment. You should be more like me."
Given this is coming from a person who frequently holds other commenters up to his own standards and finds them wanting -- he wrote a whole paragraph on how I shouldn't have used the word "funny" in the title of a thread -- the above interpretation is entirely, reasonably plausible.
Quote:
The discussion started off fine until someone jumped and screamed "You're judging!!!" instead of participating in what had been a discussion. It seems lately that a lot of people on C-D sandpaper their psyches before they sit down to read.
But instead it ends in another bah-wah-wah accusation of "Witch! Witch!"
Did you have an unexpected additive in your breakfast cereal this morning?
Sitting down and surfing the net is a perfectly acceptable act. You can research and learn a great deal that way. I am on it about 12 hours a day, before the net I used to be at the library researching whatever my current interest at the time was.
Also I have always had a sedentary lifestyle and I prefer it, which is good since I am physically unable to do otherwise.
I think the OP is judging others by his own standard which is completely unfair.
Totally agree. When I was a kid I was constantly reading...even the cereal box at the breakfast table! I would look up one thing in the dictionary or encyclopedia which would lead to another thing and another until an hour would pass since my original quest.
The internet is that on steroids and I love it! Nope, it's not being physically active but I can learn about absolutely ANYTHING in the world that comes to mind. Some stuff I may end up actually doing IRL, other stuff there's no way I could ever experience except online - and that counts too.
Actually, he kind of did. Excuse me while I whip this out...
Doing things allows us to learn, create, grow and accomplish. Passively watching can be enjoyable but involves none of those.
"You poor inferior simpletons, just living life for your own enjoyment. You should be more like me."
Given this is coming from a person who frequently holds other commenters up to his own standards and finds them wanting -- he wrote a whole paragraph on how I shouldn't have used the word "funny" in the title of a thread -- the above interpretation is entirely, reasonably plausible.
Did you have an unexpected additive in your breakfast cereal this morning?
He also said he was " disappointed"
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