Tuscany in 2015

Yes, I was just recently in Tuscany, and it was heaven. I don't think I need to elaborate on why. Here are a few images that tell it all.

one of the views from Borgo San Fedele

You may well wonder why I'm writing about my trip when the focus of my blog is my research of absurdism in relation to my studio work.

Well, just keep wondering.

Okay, for the most part it doesn't really relate to my studio work much at all.  It was just a great trip & I feel like writing about it.

Although.

San Antomi, built by Charlemagne, 788

Along the way, seeing art by legendary masters, wandering through ancient cities and towns, and viewing landscapes, that have been written for hundreds or even thousands of years old,


gave me LOT of ideas.

The Pope's room in San Antomi

For designs.

Imagine 1000+ year old frescoes in repeat and printed on fabric.

Florence

or a repeated landscape of towers and terracotta tiled roofs.

Wine.

I think this speaks for itself.

quintessential Tuscan

I could see this as a toile.

More. Wine.

I really like wine.  Labels.

San Gimignano

I see patterns everywhere.

From the Uffizi. Didn't note artist/date.
 

and for art.

What would a triptych look like for a contemporary mega-church?

                                                                

Mostly though,  I was just happy to be there

Piazza del Campo in Siena

and I'd go back in a heartbeat. I hope I do.

why absurd?

i don't know. 

Why am i interested in absurdism? 

All through my time as an MFA student I struggled to understand what my work is about. i was pulled between working from a idea and working from physical materials, especially fabric, because my interest and involvement in textile design and fiber art is what pushed me to go back to school. Again. For the third time. 

My thesis, which was basically a challenge to our cultural ideas of cloth, never satisfied me as a perspective 

for what my work is about. 

At some point in one of our classes we made a trip to a gallery that was showing work by Philadelphia artist, Thomas Chimes. The exhibit featured his paintings of the late 19th century writer Alfred Jarry. I was familiar with Jarry - having studied theater as an undergrad - as the author of the play Ubu Roi, although I hadn't read it. I further understood the Ubu character through the work of South African artist, William Kentridge.

I really love William Kentridge

I decided to research Alfred Jarry further and instead of actually reading his play, which really would be a very good idea,  I purchased an in-depth biography called "alfred jarry: a pataphysical life" by Alastair Brotchie. I'm still reading it. 

I'm also reading Albert Camus's "myth of sisyphus & other essays" in which he (Camus, not Jarry. Or Brotchie. Or Kentridge) lays out his ideas of absurdism as a philosophy. 

Reading two books at once is not always easy.

Three degrees and a small body of work that emerged from multiple directions later, I think I'm on track for something that unifies the work I've done so far, and gives me a course to follow for my work going forward.

Also, my student loan is really absurd.

The Virtue of Irrationality

I often feel annoyed at having to act rationally in an irrational world.

Except that the world is NOT rational. It just THINKS it is.  Which is ABSURD.

"Absurd" is my new favorite word.  Dictionaries define it as something ridiculous, illogical or senseless. merriam-webster.com describes "absurd" as "ridiculously unreasonable, unsound, incongruous, or meaningless & lacking order or value: "having no rational or orderly relationship to human life"

I also like the words: ridiculous, incongruous & contrary (as in "contrary to all reason & common sense." thank you dictionary.com).

Then there's "ABSURDISM" which is a philosophy of the relationship between our search for the meaning of life and the inherent meaningless of life. 

Really? The trash can is right THERE!

ABSURDISM as a philosophical perspective, grew out of existentialism and nihilism. It was Albert Camus who coalesced the ideas "man's search for meaning vs. life has no meaning" into an absurdist system of thought. 

I don't have the energy to explain to you who Albert Camus is so if you're curious, look him up in wikipedia.org

In the meantime, let me jump over to the point that ABSURDISM, along with existentialism and nihilism, is considered to be a rather gloomy point of view. After all, most people want to believe that their existence has some kind of meaning. To think this is all for naught is rather depressing.

HOWEVER, I don't see it that way.  I think ABSURDISM is HILARIOUS! 

Look at FRANK ZAPPA! Look at SPIKE JONES! They are freakin' funny!

There are absudist visual artists too. One who seems to be fairly prominent is Michael Cheval:

who actually reminds me of James Christensen:

I've been a fan of Christensen for some time but it wasn't until I saw Cheval's work that it occured to me that Christensen's falls into the realm of absurdity.

Absurdity is funny. Laughing is meaningful, isn't it?  Ironic, eh?