A GENUINE WORK OF ART

the most genuine work of art is that which undermines
conventional morality
for in the prosaic and the mundane there is a flavorlessness 
that does not express the essentials of art/ 
convention is two dimensional and for the simple 
mind intent on some sort of aesthetic appeal 
that says very little and does not ignite nor 
inflame the imagination

a genuine piece of art speaks with a voice of the 
austere, one which thrusts life into a new perspective 
that not only speaks
but speaks loudly and in the firmest of tones 
to magnetize the viewer's attention and interest 
to force the observer to carry with him its image 
and with this image and its message a sense of 
emotional disequilibrium 
annihilating any preconceived notion that art must be 
or should be pleasant

pleasant:
that's what hitler thought, he the failed artist of 
a time before his ascent to power 
but that is the image that he always carried with him 
and forced upon others 
work not for its own sake
but for the sake of not rattling the mind's eye

this type of art is really no art at all 
because it betrays itself as a failure to impact 
sensibilities
it's the saving grace of an unconsciousness that 
personifies stupidity

art which is controversial or even horrifying 
serves its intended purpose 
in that it shakes the serene out of their dream states 
it really needs to be sexual or even erotic 
and emotionally strong as well

that is what art should be 
when well written, painted, or sculpted 
it's an inflammation of the mind that the reader 
or viewer will remember well into his future life 
like surviving a troubled dream 
or plagued by trying to understand what is not really 
within the person's capacity to render satisfactorily 
intelligible...


Copyright: james j nemeth    9-17-2002