June 3, 2004, 11:05 am
I don’t have the time or desire to plunge into whatever “debates” are currently raging. Suffice to say that ANYONE who rejoices at and/or sneers at and/or tries to excuse (emotionally, intellectually or politically) the destruction of art, be it deliberate by looters in Baghdad or accidental by dodgy gas cylinders in Leyton, should go off now, break bread with Henry VIII, Josef Goebbels, the Ku Klux Klan and the Daily Mail, and stay the fuck out of my life forever.
The case for the opposition, part one: “The urge to destroy is also a creative urge” – Bakunin.
The case for the opposition part two: Gustav Metzger, who is perhaps best remembered for his “auto-destructive art”. Which makes him a bread-breaker with Goebbels, obviously.
Except his parents and older brother were all murdered by the Nazis in concentration camps for being jewish.
John
Manifestos:
http://www.391.org/manifestos/1959metzger.htm
http://www.391.org/manifestos/1960metzger.htm
2004/06/03 @ 05:10 pm
dubversion
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much as i agree with your reservations about the conclusions marcello has lept to, i was sickened by the amount of reactionary crap printed across a broad spectrum of the papers relating to the Saatchi fire… there was a nauseating smugness to it all (as i noticed from my sunlounger on Rodos
2004/06/03 @ 05:12 pm
John
Perhaps, but it’s just as reactionary to say that the only “proper” responses to the destruction of art can be silence or hand wringing at the tragedy of it all.
2004/06/04 @ 03:59 pm
John
a bit old now, but: on ‘not being an artist’:
http://uncarved.org/jetexts/art.html
2004/06/04 @ 04:02 pm
Stelfox
this was all quite potty. luckily enough myself and marcello seem to have resolved our little spat but it’s a shame it came up anyway. from now on i am going to write about nothing but girls aloud and dancehall. it causes less problems!
2004/06/05 @ 10:17 am
John Eden
Yeah, I was glad to see that, and at least it reminded me about Herr Metzger!
2004/06/05 @ 11:18 am