The Art of Blasphemy

Today I was assaulted with a visibly horrendous piece of artwork posing as political and religious criticism. Usually, under such dire circumstances one is apt to sprint recklessly for one's life in the opposite direction of the immediate threat, or alternatively deliver a well aimed blow to the rascals forehead (such as one has learnt in studies of the oriental martial arts, and E. W. Barton Wright is an incredibly good resource for such attacks). But I digress overtly with apologies. The rascal had the audacity to elicit some sort of opinion from me on the aforementioned conception. Only with some miraculous acuity was I able to discern the deeper flow of my thoughts and utter a response. The artist was attempting rather crudely, to make some point in the way of blasphemy and the trial of Oscar Wilde came to the fore of my mind, and also perhaps that quintessential aesthetic appraisal in the 'Picture of Dorian Grey' - to the effect; "Those who find ugly meanings in beautiful things are corrupt without being charming. This is a fault. Those who find beautiful meanings in beautiful things are the cultivated. For these there is hope..."

And so, getting straight to the point of the matter, what I found most objectionable about this quasi-artist and his 'assemblage' was the plain fact that it (and others too) were ugly. They lacked the necessary depth of thought, analysis and sever cutting edge that characterizes 'excellent' criticism. Yes, the work itself bore more than a faint resemblance to the crude abortion of an ill-conceived and flatulent thought, that might have been better served putting at once to the naked flame. At this point I began to rise to the challenge of this mediocre dabbler, and I prepared to thrust the blade into his barely palpitating heart, though he was visibly staggering at my previous comment. The irresponsible juxtaposition of hackneyed signage and iconography (for this thing was a 'collage') clouded any attempt to convey a clear and direct communication... a bold disregard for composition and color... well, I believe this chap was dumbstruck and had in the end to admit that his work, despite pleas for brotherly love in the face of religious dictatorial authority, that his work was in fact a pile of rubbish.

All Rights Reserved / Copyright: David John Drew 2013.