L. Ron Hubbard on Art

I read a beautiful piece by L. Ron Hubbard yesterday describing the philosophy of art. It rings so true I'm tempted to type out the whole essay right here... but I'd hate to infringe the copyright of something I respect so much. (Yes, I do have some reverent bones in my body.)

He starts off talking about the most common criticisms artists receive: "It's not original enough" and "It's too literal", and marvellously combines the two to come to the conclusion that art is communication. That which does not communicate anything to the viewer is not art, pure and simple. He talks about how, often in the name of originality and "satisfying the artist within me", many artists go completely out of the realm of communication. Last year's Turner Prize winner* comes to mind, as does the milkman who sold his excretory products for 300,000 pounds (where's the pound sign on the keyboard?) to the British museum of art. (The examples will be familiar to readers of Dave Barry.)

The best art, Hubbard says, is the kind that achieves a two way communication, allowing the audience to contribute their own feelings, emotions or imagination to the work of art. He gives a brilliant example. Take a painting of a ferocious tiger advancing towards a girl chained to a tree. This is a simple painting that communicates one-way: we fear for the girl, we admire the tiger's snarl, then move on to the next painting. But let's say the same tiger was drawn with certain features amplified, cutting out the scene altogether - the angry, piercing eye enlarged, the snarl stylised and exaggerated. The audience contributes its own imagination to fill in the gaps: the posture of the tiger, the prey that it is stalking. It suddenly holds special meaning for the audience. There's a two way communication established here.

Lay your hands on this essay if you can. It's called "The Philosophy of Art", and I found it in the third volume of a book of short stories called "Writers of the Future". Far more worthwhile than Ayn Rand's "The Romantic Manifesto", which was just a bunch of desperate rationalisations for Rand's own artistic preferences.


* The Turner prize, in case you don't know, is one of the most prestigious art awards in the western world, given every year by London's Tate Gallery for a body of work whose creator has demonstrated outstanding ability and originality. The winner then chooses an item to put on display. The prize is worth £20,000 (about $30,000). Last year's award went to 33-year- old Martin Creed for an exhibit that consisted of an empty room with lights that flicker on and off every five seconds. Mr. Creed's previous exhibits include a scrunched-up sheet of plain typing paper, a piece of plasticine stuck to a wall, and neon signs bearing cheery messages. The award was presented by Madonna.