MICHAEL KIMMELMAN:
Manet’s message? That the whole modern world is dangerous, shifty and strange. The camera is just a byproduct and symptom of this altered condition. We must struggle for comprehension; art can help, up to a point. But the old bearings don’t moor us. We’re on our own.
(The New York Times, May 16, 2011)
Édouard Manet:
I am influenced by everbody. But every time I put my hands in my pockets I find someone else's fingers there.
When I put my hands in my pocket I find no fingers, not even my own because I understand so little of the subject of drawing and painting!
It was my weakest subject from kindergarten to the end of second year of engineering. I was so horrified by engineering drawing that I seriously thought of ditching engineering until the late Bam-sir (बाम-सर) came along to rescue me. Also, my younger brother helped me with biology journal of 12th and many journals of engineering.
It's a marvel of Indian higher education system that a person so weak in the subject of drawing gets away with calling himself a mechanical engineer!
When I reached IIT-Madras, it was a big relief to see all academic building blocks marked as "sciences" e.g. "mechanical sciences" except civil which was marked "civil engineering".
Had I arrived at the right place?
And yet I keep chasing pictures, drawings, paintings...all visual arts. Why won't I when the world has artists like Édouard Manet?
Look at the following picture.
I haven't seen more beautiful and funnier picture than this all my life.
Look at the man, his both hands, middle-finger of his left, his right-hand grip on the glass. Follow his eyes. Look at his bow-tie, his sideburn, his moustache...
Is he listening to the lady at all? Is he seducing her? The lady seems to be charmed. I keep wondering what he would do next...will he kiss her lightly on the lips?...
Look at the waiter. What is he looking at or waiting for?
When I see this picture, a lot of quality pictures of 20th century, including some great cartoons, don't surprise me. Manet anticipates them.
Manet has said: Conciseness in art is essential and a refinement. The concise man makes one think; the verbose bores. Always work towards conciseness.
And what else are cartoons if not conciseness?
Artist: Édouard Manet, 'Chez le père Lathuille' ('The Garden of Pere Lathuille'), 1879
Location: The Musée des Beaux-Arts in Tournai, Belgium
Courtesy: Wikimedia CommonsDo a lot of today's artists find his fingers every time they put their hands in their pockets?
The Simpsons has assembled quite a portfolio of allusions to fine art. One of them- below right- is to 'The Luncheon on the Grass' by Manet (1862-63) on below left.
More more such allusions, visit The Simpsons Park.
I am wondering what "finding another's or one's own fingers in pockets" means? Does it refer to inspiration?
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, you are so right about cartoons and their conciseness - and I will add incisiveness too!
On another note - because you mention that you have chased pictures and drawings and paintings - I am sure you know about romanticism, naturalism, and the many isms - they periods of trends in art and even society, mostly European! I have always wondered if Indian art is ever explained or lends itself to such a classification? A classification based on social and political context of art - were there ever any such movements in the Arts (literature, painting, music, dance) in India? I wonder...
Thanks J.
ReplyDeleteI feel "finding another's or one's own fingers in pockets" means getting inspired by that person. It's like another expression 'standing on the shoulders of giants'.
Yes, one may add incisiveness to the characteristics of a good cartoon.
There is no indigenous classification of Indian art a la European art.
Sad. But when have we last paid attention to the visual arts as a critical aspect of our culture?
There are a couple of posts on this aspect. Most notably you may want to read http://searchingforlaugh.blogspot.com/2010/11/picture-blindness-old-epidemic-among.html
best,