Did anyone hear a loud shouting Sunday afternoon? No, it wasn't a fan's reaction to the Super bowl, well, not mine...but perhaps you heard me shout with relief after reading Fiedlers' "On Judging Works of Visual Art". In a manner similar to our US Constitutional authors, Fiedler has created a living document, a simple, flexible framework that allows art critics the freedom to move with the times. I LOVED this quote in particular, "...artistic achievements always spring anew and immediately from a domain which must remain inaccessible to the influences of intellectual reflection." Bravo...I love this guy...
But not only does Fiedler's treatise emancipate the artist, it also gives a flexible guideline to the critic. One of my favorite quotes that is definitely pointed to the critic, "...that he who judges will see the art which exists at all does not require the appreciation of being said to be good. However, it can never be bad." This man was way ahead of his time and our next author, Adolf Hildebrand, apparently held Fiedler in low regard (which I found out is not the case at all).
Hildebrand's "Problem of Form" especially in Part II, devotes a great deal of energy towards making a mockery of any art form that was "new". Given that he wrote his treatise near the turn of the century, at the age of 60, I am compelled to regard (or disregard) him as a disgruntled critic, unable to appreciate the new movements of his times. His words are in fact so damning of all things new, that perhaps they may have even served as a catalyst for emerging artists to go even further...Oh, if only Hildebrand would have listened to Fiedler....
Having read both of these works, imagine my surprise, when upon doing a little research, I find that Fiedler was inspired by and friends with Hildebrand! It makes me wonder what transpired in the 30 years between Fiedler's work and Hildebrand's.
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