art

Now that I’m interested in art again, a few background comments might be in order, especially since my main interest is in contemporary art, a field both inscrutable and risible in the minds of many. In the work-related discussion I alluded to in a previous post, a colleague brought up Damien Hirst’s infamous shark in a tank; he seemed incredulous at this being considered art, but at the same time happened to remember the exact name of the work (something I myself had forgotten)....

As a congenital generalist I maintain ongoing relatively superficial interests in a lot of different things. However every once in a while an interest will take me over and lead me to explore it obsessively for a time. Several years ago I had that experience with art, especially contemporary art. (I have a bias towards what’s going on currently in a field; thus my current interest in “classical” music is focused on what’s being composed here and now, and extends back only to the dawn of minimalism....