Can a blind man paint?
Yes he can: Painting is the act of imprinting on paper
No he cannot: Painting is the re-presentation of a visual sensation on paper
Yes he can: Painting is order in space, time and colour
No he cannot: Painting is the expression of ideas perceived through sight presented for analysis to the visual imagination
Yes he can: Painting is the communication of ideas using colour and 2D space as medium and the eye as receptor
Can a blind man paint?
What is Painting?
What is Music? Poetry? Language? Life?
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5 comments:
that is one possible definition of what painting is. but my point is: is there a precise universal definition? i can give a host of definitions of painting, each reasonable and, depending on each definition, i can conclude if a blind man can paint or not. we know already an infinity of logical systems are possible and logical truths depend on the particular choice of axiomatic system. but people believe ethics or or psychology or life itself has an axiom system that is defined by 'common sense'. for example most people would agree a rose is beautiful and an owl isn't. aristotle says it is the mark of an educated man to know what to question and what not to and refrains from defining facts. however, art has developed to an extent that multiple definitions are possible, making life a very difficult thing to understand, and a 'good life' even more difficult.
Specifically, what i had in mind when i wrote the post is the successive refinement of art over the ages. the first represents the basic caveman paintings or a child's doodling. the second definition is classical painting extending into the latter half of the 19th century, portrait painting etc. the third is geometrical painting, seurat and the rest and the beginning of abstract art. the fourth is abstract painting with the basic idea of hiding and teasing out meaning with vision a critical component for analysis. the final definition stands for postmodern painting. the successive definitions are also in order of complexity of understanding and the different stages of the human understanding. as a thoughtful man matures and if i keep asking him what painting is, i imagine he will refine his definitions successively in this fashion to accomodate newer ideas. the list of course is not meant to be complete but is just there to prove the point i mentioned in the previous comment.
I once wrote a poem where I had written of the image of a mute's dreams! Whether he can convey it to anybody without the tool of language...(assuming he cannot paint or write..)
Well..a blind man can paint for himself..certainly! If it makes any difference to him, yes! Most likely that he would not care for it.
lioness,
i think what you are talking about is the problem of and the need/usefulness for/of communication in the absence of conventional media. in this post, i was more concerned about the meaning and the futility of defining communication and various other general terms. the relativity of definitions makes it hard to say if communication is possible or successful. do give me the link to ur poem - should be interesting to read it..
rajesh,
redefinition of the functions of art had, i think, as much to do with abstraction as with dissatisfaction over an exclusive definition but agree with ur point..
and abt the posts, have been quite busy for some time.. anyways thanks :-)
I personally feel that art is therapy. I may not write poems except for sublimation. Once upon a time I wrote poems for others to read. Now I write something that would help me come to terms with my life and the poem is a by-product!
For the blind man, is the painting crucial? If the question you asked is to do with the aesthetics of it,and the acceptance it will receive.. well..."Beauty is in the eye of the beholder".
Dont know if you know but some foot and mouth painters can make amazing pieces.
http://www.amfpa.com/
We had a deaf Beethoven. So one never knows!
Well..the poem..I shall fish for it in the deep crevices of my long-forgotten shelves!
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