The Raft of the Medusa, 1818-1819. Oil on canvas. 490 x 720 cm.**
Gericault was a painter out of the Romantic movement- in my opinion a rather hippy-esque phase in art where everyone was all “do what you want, nature is beautiful.” Yeah Gericault, pass that dutch. In this writing he postulates that education is good, but the Academies of the day were too stifling to create truly talented artists, and that good art comes from genius.
Education is good. Being the process which makes us human, yeah I’ll buy that. Geri boy says, “Education broadens the mind, expands its capacities, and illuminates the goal one strives to attain” Sounds like the words of an educated mind, eh? At any rate I do believe that education opens doors and allows one to live more freely. My major is art education so we better hope I’ve got some reasoning behind that choice.
Schools are too stifling- word. Lets teach every student in America the same stuff the same way, checking our progress as a system with a standardized test. Fuck yeah- all men are created equal so lets raise a nation of automatons! “all they have done is create thousands of mediocre artists,” Gericault states. After 12 grades and 5 years of college {4 active, 1 mostly reserve}, I feel that as much as I love the precious words, theories, and formulas I’ve been learning, it’s about time for my life’s education. Living life, getting smart and being a talented artist require a lot more than what a school can provide. Experience, ya dig? For me it’s time to turn to life’s classroom.
* etude biographique et critique, Paris: Didier et Cie, 1868
**Picture taken from Photobucket
No comments:
Post a Comment