first response entry

"The Founding and Manifesto of Futurism" was about rebellion against old art and a movement for freedom of artistic interpretation. The author sounded like a terrorist in the beginning, but it became clear that he was speaking metaphorically about changing the way people see art. He/she wanted to destroy the museums in Italy, claiming that they were graveyards with artists who hated each other rubbing shoulders. I disagree that art museums are graveyards. Museums are there to showcase the great art that was made in the past so that it can live on for ever. Graveyards don’t showcase dead bodies in glass cases so that people can walk around and admire them. I did however agree with the statement that when the futurist artists were forty years old, the next generation would try to oust them and set up their own new art movement.

This museum literally is a graveyard.

> http://www.graveyardoftheatlantic.com/index.html

This was an interview of Allan Kaprow. They talked about Allan’s involvement in the modernism movement, his performance and installation art. Kaprow refused to be a part of any group and did not join the Fluxus either. Kaprow’s education was discussed and his coinage of the phrase, “happenings,” which he refutes was a term used by different people for different purposes as well. They didn’t go into depth about what the happenings actually were except that they were performance art which were not done in galleries. Kaprow’s description of an installation was right on target. He explained that an entire environment has to be created, and it is called an environment because it is an atmosphere, perfectly put together, which completely surrounds the spectator who is ready for an experience. He also added that in performance art, most artists who jump on the bandwagon don’t know how to act, so they don’t fare too well. There really wasn’t anything to agree or disagree with since it was an interview, but I suppose I can agree with Kaprow’s choice of a home. What better a place than a farm for a starving artist to live? And I would disagree with his use of the term “in a capsule” when he should have used “in a nutshell.”

> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Happenings

This one is fun:

> http://www.smilinggoat.com/crackers.html

"Performance Art" by Martha Wilson tried to explain the beginning of performance art as well as explain it. She noted that performance art is different from movies because it occurs in real time. Movies are taped in the past and they take a lot of tries to get everything exactly right. Performance art is a one shot deal and relies on time as a theme. I disagreed with her when she said that performance art is the opposite of theater because as long as people art acting, it’s theatrical. There is no way it can be the opposite. I agree with her that performance artists are disappointed is if they don’t change the world or at least “shake the lapels” of the people, however, she was talking about artists in general. What about graphic designers and illustrators? They don’t care about shaking lapels.

> http://arthistory.about.com/cs/arthistory10one/a/performance.htm