Page 25 - The MoMA/ Guggenheim issue of World of Art magazine (2001)

rAYmoNd HAmPToN / USA
ImPATIeNce IN WAITING
2001 PAPer coNSTrUcTIoN
21,5 x 38 cm / 8½ x 15 IN
THe 6TH INTerNATIoNAl ANNUAl oF mINIATUre ArT
ArT AddIcTIoN GAllerY STocKHolm SWedeN

CONTEMPORARY ART

“THE

HOMICIDE

Of THE

IDEAL”

Incapable of really turning to society, art is continuously determined to receive money in change of itself, art is pure giving. Nevertheless,
by particular virtuosities or trivial banalities. It has lost any form on the other hand, the artist is a human being that needs to eat to
of sacredness and civil values, assuming features more and more survive.
individualistic and decorative. This is because “people continue not to Parodaxally, we have now to face the fact that the ideal has come
ask what instead they really should”, as it was already said by engels. to an end: it has arrived to annihilate itself trying to affirm itself.
The conciliation, the unitary ideals of synthesis of cultures that consequently the concepts of “useless and futility” of the arts is
the speeches upon art like untruly to purpose without ever knowing because everything can assume an artistic value, independent and
“how”, are now replaced by absurd differentiations of genres and intrinsic, but without any criterion. everything can become an artistic
splitting of specializations. expression complete and accomplished in itself: from the naturalistic
Actually to affirm the existence of an “international-plural- and realistic motifs, to the conceptual and symbological ones, as well
multicultural art” is not sufficient to set expensive itinerant exhibitions as all the various and different kinds of things and objects. If then
around the world or propagandize books, movies, records with today-art tries to look back to its own past, it inevitably assumes
hammering advertising campaigns: it is the inner message that must a vaguely academic-classicistic trend, sliding - and this is worse
be capable of involving everybody, more or less directly: instead, - towards rhetorical imitations, conventional and artificial. Therefore,
most of the times we are overwhelmed by gratuitous and superfluous in such a situation, it is not possible anymore to talk about “growth
artworks as well as by literary, visual and musical deliberate and development” of the arts. The words “growth” and “development”
plundering. So, what will remain of all this mess? Artworks nailed are by now annihilate for a wild the speculation of genres and values.
on some collector’s house walls, or stocked in some dusty museum Nevertheless, a real artist can’t and mustn’t give up. The all of the
storage; yellowed, moldy books stacked and stockpiled in some above is what he must fight to save his gift and to continue to believe
expensive domestic library or fated to maceration; scratched cds. in his task. In these strange, frantic days, more than ever, to conceive
What is fundamentally wrong is that the artist requires money for art is an act of pure virility, an action of firmness, strength and
his own productions: art would not have to be paid, it would not have gentleness. (to be continue)

WORLD of ART 23