I talked about the exhibition on the the downs, linked to his work, at the Arnolfini, this was on the 8th of August, so here is the update… i have given an example of his work, and also there i have included a segment of an interview with the Sunday Times newspaper interviewer Bryan Appleyard, from 26, 07, 15 edition, which i hope will explain…
Richard Long marks time and art with a journey…. i.e; he walks……. An example of recent is, picking up a stone in East Anglia and walking to Wales, then leaving the stone, picking up another stone, then walking back to place it in East Anglia…..
The act of walking, the journey, become the sculpture, and this is experienced by the audience in his documentation, with photographs and text explanations..
He states; ” One definition of art is that you put something in the world that wasn’t there before; a sculpture, a mud work or a walk made for a new reason. You could say that most art alludes to other art, so i think the idea of originality is quite an interesting one. The sharp end of everything is the people who are doing something interesting, finding new ways of doing things. Thats why Jackson Pollock was such a great artist. Originality is not the total point of art.” Brian Appleyard then asks.. ” What is the total point of art ? ” Richard Long replies.. ” That’s a very mischievous question. There is no total point of art.” ( here is an image of Richard Long )
My personal thought on this when i read the article was Wow !, i think that is such a great answer.. and i find it inspiring.. The thing is, go create ! it does not have to have a reason……..
Academia demands an objective and an explanation… which honestly is not needed, ( but required sometimes ) and i found it a hindrance to my creative side.. I can explain why ! i am driven or absorbed into making a particular work…! but as for justifying it…………
No need
It will be what it will be
With thanks to Richard Long, and Bernard Reynolds, in their valid and fantastic outlook on creating art, that continues to hold true.
