Popular culture

Chuck Grimes cgrimes at rawbw.com
Sat Jan 11 09:15:56 PST 2003


Who do you think produces the stuff that Sony et al market? Doug

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I am not sure I answered this by simply pointing out that the artists and writers were pretty much anonymous, except for some music and some film. But even in these cases, only some of the people involved are named as if they completely embodied the production.

Consider the crucifix as an example. Its the official emblem of Christianity. They've been made in every material and every medium. Nobody could possibly name the artists or really identify were they come from or much about them at all (except experts and scholars who specialize in that activity). They are official art. The only unique one I can think of, off the top of my head is Grunewald's tryptic. Okay maybe, the Rubens one with the sheet, and Rembrandt's etching. What's that three out of millions, or three out of hundreds of extremely famous and very valuable ones?

There are ugly ones, pretty ones, perhaps inspiring ones, whatever. They are the official logo of the Christianity brand, often abbreviated by a cross, without the body. I can't imagine how to perform a critique of Christianity by depicting a crucifixion.

In a related way, just to re-state the point, so mass culture is official culture made for mass distribution.

So Catherine, how about addressing it more, rehearsed or not?

Chuck Grimes



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