Sholis on Art Crit

06 Jan Sholis on Art Crit

On his blog Brian Sholis raises a couple of good questions.

I understand the need to make thought accessible, but a balance can be struck between potentially revelatory insight and rote description (which, I know, can offer revelatory insights of its own). I don’t think of myself as a particularly intellectual critic—more like a fairly smart guy who casts his net wide enough to see and read more than the average art viewer (or, based on conversations I’ve had with others in the profession, even the average critic). I have to work hard to understand the October crowd. But a little effort goes a long way, and my grappling has been rewarded. Do others feel the same way?

Now any reader of this blog knows I have given Mr. Sholis a hard time because I would include him in the October crowd. But this post was interesting to me because he seems to have heard the criticism from various Blogs and responded and stated his case with an open mind….you have my respect.

Brian I do consider you a very smart guy but please use that large net of yours to pull more people into the discourse rather than turn them away. I believe your ideas to be sound. The communicating of your ideas is where the issues arise.

..and I am curious what the reward/pay-off is after the hard work and grappling of the unintelligible…. More of the same??