A brief note about funding and the arts
There will be a long, critical essay - and likely a debate - coming at the end of this voyage regarding funding and the arts. While Sean and I disagree to a degree regarding whether funding or passion is more essential to quality, innovative artwork and a thriving scene, one thing we do agree on is that having both is best.
Having both is not so easy though and usually artistic restriction or censorship comes about through funding. We - contemporary, young artists - usually are heard saying "oh, things were so good back in the day".. often referring to such prolific times as the Italian Renaissance. Well.. having spent days now seeing the same Madonna and Child motif done by a zillion artists a zillion times over, I will no longer state such a thing! One could argue that the artists wanted to paint the same image over and over, but having read Michelangelo's diary years ago, I don't think that is the case.
I also discovered a new bit about the Sistine Chapel in my tour book today (which does not make me any the less excited to see it!), so I'll share, as it's relevant:
Essentially it begins by explaining that in the Sistine Chapel paintings, M. chose a punitive and terrifying god, as he was told to depict the stories of Genesis - all of them. "In real life, poor M. answered to a flesh-and-blood taskmaster who was almost as vengeful: Pope Julius II...he was intent on uniting Italy under the power of the Vatican, and was eager to do so by any means, including riding into pitched battle. Yet this 'warrier pope' considered his most formidable adversary to be M. Applying a form of blackmail, Julius threatened to wage war on M's Florence...unless M. agreed to return to Rome and take up the task of painting the Sistine Chapel ceiling.
A sculptor first and foremost, however, M. considered painting an inferior genre - 'for rascals and sissies' as he put it. Second there was the sheer scope of the task, leading M to suspect he'd been set up by a rival...[M considered it impossible, in fact, it being 135ft long x 44ft wide!!]..." six years later, it was done.
So... was he funded? yes. Was he incredibly gifted? yes... Was it what he wanted to be doing? absolutely not. nothing has really changed.
Or has it? that debate will have to wait.
Having both is not so easy though and usually artistic restriction or censorship comes about through funding. We - contemporary, young artists - usually are heard saying "oh, things were so good back in the day".. often referring to such prolific times as the Italian Renaissance. Well.. having spent days now seeing the same Madonna and Child motif done by a zillion artists a zillion times over, I will no longer state such a thing! One could argue that the artists wanted to paint the same image over and over, but having read Michelangelo's diary years ago, I don't think that is the case.
I also discovered a new bit about the Sistine Chapel in my tour book today (which does not make me any the less excited to see it!), so I'll share, as it's relevant:
Essentially it begins by explaining that in the Sistine Chapel paintings, M. chose a punitive and terrifying god, as he was told to depict the stories of Genesis - all of them. "In real life, poor M. answered to a flesh-and-blood taskmaster who was almost as vengeful: Pope Julius II...he was intent on uniting Italy under the power of the Vatican, and was eager to do so by any means, including riding into pitched battle. Yet this 'warrier pope' considered his most formidable adversary to be M. Applying a form of blackmail, Julius threatened to wage war on M's Florence...unless M. agreed to return to Rome and take up the task of painting the Sistine Chapel ceiling.
A sculptor first and foremost, however, M. considered painting an inferior genre - 'for rascals and sissies' as he put it. Second there was the sheer scope of the task, leading M to suspect he'd been set up by a rival...[M considered it impossible, in fact, it being 135ft long x 44ft wide!!]..." six years later, it was done.
So... was he funded? yes. Was he incredibly gifted? yes... Was it what he wanted to be doing? absolutely not. nothing has really changed.
Or has it? that debate will have to wait.
posted by DOUBLE VISION | 2:15 PM
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