July 08, 2014
Rolf Harris
Source: Shutterstock
Wilson responded promptly and at some length. Calling Jones” “leaps” in logic “completely intellectually bankrupt,” Wilson”echoing a certain notorious conservative movement “gateway drug”“pointed out that many “highbrow” familiars, such as Picasso, Miles Davis, and T.S. Eliot, were hardly paragons of virtue, “but you”d be foolish to argue that any of their work was somehow kitsch or a “lie” as a result.
“Likewise, many mediocre artists are perfectly delightful, caring and compassionate citizens, but that doesn”t make their work any better. (Although Canadians sometimes seem to think so.)
“The idea that it is illegitimate for art to be comforting, to celebrate human warmth, seems to me ridiculous,” Wilson continued. “A well-done portrait of a beloved figure [such as Rolf Harris’s portrait of the Queen] might not be profound, but is it somehow evil, while a badly done, at least equally kneejerk, nihilistic or “rebellious” punk-rock song or violent paint splatter deserves greater respect? (…) [S]eeking confrontation is a luxurious impulse to have”it suggests that there’s little enough suffering in your life that you don”t mind looking for ways to feel worse.”
For me, what’s most revealing is that liberals treasure their own beloved catalogue of”and there is no other word for it”kitsch. Ten bucks says Jonathan Jones owns or has owned a Che T-shirt and a rainbow flag lapel pin, and drives a car with a “Free Tibet” bumper sticker. Or maybe “COEXIST.”
When will liberals”who are constantly rebranding themselves”just settle on the unwieldy but far more accurate moniker, “The It’s-Different-When-We-Do-Its,” and have done with it?
