Responses 008 (2010-2011)
Question 8 really looks intriguing. " 'Art is a lie that brings us nearer to the truth.'—Pablo Picasso. Evaluate this claim in relation to a specific art form (for example, visual arts, literature, theatre). " Of course, it is an example of hyperbole, in some sense; the word 'lie' here is not used in the way that we normally use it.
In what sense then is it used? With only a passing reference to Picasso's own works, art can be seen as a way of constructing a physical metaphor for a mental or physical reality. A photograph, for example, is an image of something and not the thing itself; a ballet expresses something but is not itself that thing.
The second part of that quote is 'nearer to the truth'. It is one of those bait-and-switch things, viewed uncharitably. What Picasso implies is that the artist's modality is to make a representation of reality that brings out some underlying truth in that reality which you wouldn't otherwise perceive. In that sense, it is 'nearer to the truth' because you wouldn't otherwise see the truth by looking at the original thing.
An artist's eye (or ear, or tongue, or whatever) is then a specialised tool for bringing out reality by stripping a real thing of elements that conceal other elements; the concealed elements, whether genuinely hidden or implicit or inferrable, are the truth(s) to which the artist seeks to bring you closer.
After that hurdle, everything else is easier...
In what sense then is it used? With only a passing reference to Picasso's own works, art can be seen as a way of constructing a physical metaphor for a mental or physical reality. A photograph, for example, is an image of something and not the thing itself; a ballet expresses something but is not itself that thing.
The second part of that quote is 'nearer to the truth'. It is one of those bait-and-switch things, viewed uncharitably. What Picasso implies is that the artist's modality is to make a representation of reality that brings out some underlying truth in that reality which you wouldn't otherwise perceive. In that sense, it is 'nearer to the truth' because you wouldn't otherwise see the truth by looking at the original thing.
An artist's eye (or ear, or tongue, or whatever) is then a specialised tool for bringing out reality by stripping a real thing of elements that conceal other elements; the concealed elements, whether genuinely hidden or implicit or inferrable, are the truth(s) to which the artist seeks to bring you closer.
After that hurdle, everything else is easier...
Labels: Art, Epistemology, Odd Questions, Truth
etched with acid at 12:27:00 pm
9 Comments:
The definition of lying here is rather broad; do you think there are cases where art doesn't lie?
dont think it would be art then.
Would you consider morality plays art then?
Do you think intent is necessary for a lie?
If you were to discuss those questions i don't think you'll be able to attain a fully justifiable answer at all.
Instead of drilling/droning on the concept of morality & intentionality of a lie, a exploration into the nature of art will be more fruitful imo. If you're really interested, look into Dadaism and it's principles, should be quite an interesting insight into the whole issue
No, it's nothing to do with the act of lying; rather, it's to do with Picasso's point that all art is really, in some sense, (mis)representational of reality.
Morality plays are art, definitely. They're at the end of the spectrum where the intention is clearer than most. You could classify them with fables and fairy tales.
Dadaism is in a sense a more deliberate lie than most; it is closest to the idea that every perception is a 'lie' of some sort anyway, especially if moulded by a dominant culture. It was intended to be anti-Art, but it never escaped Art itself.
alienczf- The focus isn't morality. My point is that morality plays as a genre clearly intend to send a message which the writers think is true. They aren't intending to misrepresent, hence they aren't lying.
I'm doing literature, do you think deconstructivist readings achieve a similar effect as Dada?
sibrwd: Of course the authors of morality plays knew that morality plays weren't the truth, just as John Bunyan knew 'The Pilgrim's Progress' was not the truth. However, they carry metaphorical truth.
Lying does not necessarily have a moral burden; the injunction in most religions is against false testimony about actual occurrences (i.e. 'bearing false witness'), which is a different thing altogether.
See 1 Kings 22:19-22, for example.
Our modern ideas about lying are more Hellenistic in outlook and Anglo-Saxon in effect. That is, we have a binary true/false idea of truth and a punitive attitude to people caught being inaccurate.
But what about verbatim theatre - it is the truth but is still considered an art!
Katie: argh, sorry didn't see this comment; it all depends on what you think of as truth... sometimes, by presenting something, you are already preventing something else from being presented — you are choosing what someone else will see.
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