Damien Hirst
Tonight I settled down in front of NewsNight review, having returned from the Holt Bookshop, where the very talented Jeremy Page was signing copies of his debut novel, "Salt". (An evocative and beautifully crafted book, set in north Norfolk - worth buying). News Night revue is always worth a look, although it seems to have been diluted by the absence of people like Germaine Greer, Tony Parsons and their bunch of wonderfully acerbic and often wildly subjective pals.
Tonight's programme consisted of an extended interview with Damien Hirst, gently quizzed by a slightly out of her depth Kirsty Wark - was there a lot of editing, or am I being uncharitable? Mr Hirst speaks very fast, nearly as fast as he earns money from his art, or, to be more accurate, his art factory - the existence of which Mr Hirst cheerfully admits. I don't have the knowledge of visual art to make a judgement about the work, the artist is obviously fiercely intelligent and his success is a rather encouraging poke in the eye to the Establishment.
However, I do wonder if NewsNight were not rather beautifully conned, the new exhibition at the White Cube Gallery will no doubt be attended by all of London's rather nebulous group of movers and groovers, but does it actually reflect art in its broader and more vital sense? I don't subscribe to the view that figurative painting is the acme of artistic endeavour; its like saying that just because Brian Eno doesn't play the piano as well as Stan Tracy his work has no place. In other words, anyone who makes good art has a place - the trick is defining what is good.
My concern is that fourteen million pounds worth of diamond encrusted skull -Mr Hirst's latest work, seems to have caught the imagination of the arts commissars in a rather sordid fashion. , There again, it could be argued that this piece is no different from a Faberge egg - exquisite and destined for the mega rich - and therein lies the rub. Damien Hirst spoke well and sensibly in his interview tonight, but I can't help thinking that there are other creative artists who would have benefited more from thirty minutes of precious screen time - the Hirst empire really doesn't need it.
Tonight's programme consisted of an extended interview with Damien Hirst, gently quizzed by a slightly out of her depth Kirsty Wark - was there a lot of editing, or am I being uncharitable? Mr Hirst speaks very fast, nearly as fast as he earns money from his art, or, to be more accurate, his art factory - the existence of which Mr Hirst cheerfully admits. I don't have the knowledge of visual art to make a judgement about the work, the artist is obviously fiercely intelligent and his success is a rather encouraging poke in the eye to the Establishment.
However, I do wonder if NewsNight were not rather beautifully conned, the new exhibition at the White Cube Gallery will no doubt be attended by all of London's rather nebulous group of movers and groovers, but does it actually reflect art in its broader and more vital sense? I don't subscribe to the view that figurative painting is the acme of artistic endeavour; its like saying that just because Brian Eno doesn't play the piano as well as Stan Tracy his work has no place. In other words, anyone who makes good art has a place - the trick is defining what is good.
My concern is that fourteen million pounds worth of diamond encrusted skull -Mr Hirst's latest work, seems to have caught the imagination of the arts commissars in a rather sordid fashion. , There again, it could be argued that this piece is no different from a Faberge egg - exquisite and destined for the mega rich - and therein lies the rub. Damien Hirst spoke well and sensibly in his interview tonight, but I can't help thinking that there are other creative artists who would have benefited more from thirty minutes of precious screen time - the Hirst empire really doesn't need it.
posted by Tony Britten - Capriol comment at
22:57
1 Comments:
very well said.
Post a Comment
<< Home