Homage for BOLD CRITICISM
It all started with listing to Melvyn Bragg's fantastic podcasts “The Value of Culture” on BBC's Channel 4.
While I was listening to the third episode: “Mass Culture”, the guest of the programme: Prof. Robert Scruton (British philosophy instructor), mentioned and explained a very famous concept as follows (sorry if I wrote his words carelessly):
“Young artists do not like judgments especially judgment of their own taste. And usually respond that “who are you to judge? It is all matter of taste anyway!”. First of all, who am I to judge? I'm somebody who spent more and less my whole life, looked at these things and listened to these things and learnt about them. So I am somehow a judge. Secondly, maybe a matter of taste, but there is the difference between good taste and bad taste... I would agree with a young person who responds I know there is a difference between good and bad. Because he/she is admitting there is such a thing as judgment.”
I really enjoyed Prof. Scruton 's answer: admitting difference between good or bad taste. Very correct!!! For example, you are free to choose to watch any film, but this doesn't make it the BEST or even a good film!
Last night, I read an interesting article in Guardian's Art and Design: “Art criticism has become too fawning – time for the best hatchet job award?” by Jonathan Jones.
This is a paragraph from this awesome article
“But the real reason for critical timidity is that everyone is scared of the young, and art has allied itself with youth. Who wants to be seen as an oldie who just doesn't get what the kids are down with? Obviously, the dominant figures in British art now are mostly in their 40s and 50s. The idea of “young British art” was invented two decades ago, yet artists still carry that banner into advanced middle age. That's one of the reasons they need criticising – for failing to grow up.”
Is it happening to us? We accept and admire new books, paintings, music, etc. just because youth did them? Unfortunately, YES! Even very distinguished newspapers like Guardian, Independent and New Statesman show this tendency (ironic, because I read this article in Guardian!). I know some authors of columns whom I'm pretty sure their works would not be accepted if they were in their 40s instead of 20s.
I can deal with people who believe in good or bad works (as Prof. Scruton explained), my response to them, when we are not agreed with each other on the quality of work, would be:
“Yes, you think it is a high-quality work, but I don't. I will improve myself, and you will improve yourself, and hopefully, we will reach each other in a future intersection.”
But people who just say “it is your opinion, and it is my opinion (opinion a.k.a. taste!), end of the story!” are just ignorant. As Jonathan Jones explained, there is a tendency to be naive and fawning when it comes to new works. We think it is impolite to mention that somebody's work is rubbish.
In this blog, I wrote many criticisms. I think I almost only write criticisms! I owe this to my favourite author of my teenage life: George Orwell.
When I was fifteen or sixteen, I had only read his Animal Farm. Back there, my very favourite book was “Great Expectation”, and I adored Charles Dickens works and way of thinking. By chance, I passed by the Orwell's essay: Charles Dickens... it had a lightning effect!!!
Orwell guessed correctly:
“By this time anyone who is a lover of Dickens, and who has read as far as this, will probably be angry with me...”
However, when I finished reading the essay... I was more familiar with Dickens' works, and Orwell was much more precise and accurate, to just shrug my shoulders and say “it was his taste!”
I re-read the article repeatedly and checked out Dickens's original works. Orwell was accurate, and now I can appreciate my “Great Exception” impartial: with open eyes. Not the way Pip loved Stella: blindly and delusional.
And then I read Orwell's essay on Jack London, whom I liked his “The Call of Wild”: another illusion shattered.
Nowadays, I write criticisms nine times out ten. I've criticised Orwell's works harshly at least twice in this blog:
Orwell's Coming Up for Air
Animal Farm – A Critical Analysis
Nonetheless, I owe Orwell sincere thanks: thank you for teaching me to be critical to my environment and art; I have developed my judgment. Furthermore, thanks for this awesome quote:
“If liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear.”
Post-script
The title of this post is a homage to Orwell's book: “A Homage To Catalonia”.
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