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[Slurpee]

[FLOUNDERMAN_CLOCK]

I wonder if I could force my reading into the narrative by replicating it and changing the text to say "this is not an image of a pipe" but maybe I'm underestimating, like, self-congratulatory technical pedantry that mostly only exists as a stultifying bludgeon to make the speaker feel like they've bested somebody by honing into a narrow, specific bit of information of a broader subject they've no genuine interest in either understanding or elucidating. "gotcha!" intellectualism. "aha! a centipede is not a bug, because bug means insect. you are very foolish and i am very smart" damn wow owned but have you considered this counterpoint: a centipede IS a bug, actually, fricken dum ass

I always assumed he just thought it was kinda funny. "lol it's a DRAWING of a pipe get it" rather than "lol u fukign dumbass of course it's not a LITERAL pipe im so smart" or "this is a supr srs bsns commentary on the nature of art". I can imagine he was trying not to giggle like an idiot when he presented an old toilet as an art piece.  it's like submitting a cc spam flash to a film festival. he seemed to take some stuff seriously at least, but I'm pretty sure he was having a laugh for the most part.

also centipedes are mammals not insects you racist

[Slurpee]

there were people who were comparing the aqua teen hunger force movie to fritz lang
I'm sure the aqua teen boys thought that was funny but it also got me to read about fritz lang so idk

you can find meaning anywhere; what you think is more important than what made you think it

[Slurpee]

you guys seen Infinity War yet?

[GreyClock]

I later learned the intended and more widely received meaning was that "it's not a pipe, it's a drawing of a pipe" (which honestly just seems kind of smug and douchey)

Context is important. Homeboy painted that in 1928. The Fountain was from 1917 (by a different guy). Abstract art was only barely coming up after 1910. Before that art was (crudely put) a representation of (some particular aspect) of "reality". Someone like Wittgenstein was only just rearing his head. (Although maybe Plato had already touched upon it, but who knows I've never read Plato.) I'm just spitballing but it could also tie in with the long tradition of trompay le oil. This was decades before conceptual art. I mean it took about forty years for the art world to fully come to grips with The Fountain. Stuff like this is easily dismissed in the present day as "durrr it's a toilet" because we had a century to process it, or rather, it has been woven into the collective tapestry of the human experience (lmao I can't think of anything less pretentious, let's just say "seminal" okay), but at the time of its unveiling it was probably as radical as seeing the first electric light or some shit. Nobody marvels when they turn on the light anymore.

And yeah, dude was also funny.


Come on.


That's funny.



This is from 1965 and they were still kicking around with similar ideas:

[Slurpee]

I haven't read Plato either but he at least scouted similar territory because as I understand it "the platonic ideal" is pretty much just a distinction between object and conceptualization

I own my ignorance on art history though so idk to what extent abstraction was widely understood etc. and it seems reasonable that it would be a long process that I'm privileged to take for granted because I was born on the other side of history from it

[Slurpee]

I just learned the francis bacon who painted is a different person from the one who said "knowledge is power" and they were born centuries apart and it makes so much more sense than before I knew that

for like 8 years I was like *thinking* hm this guy


painted this:


yep that checks out and requires no further examination

[GreyClock]

Hehe. Francis Bacon was a time traveler. That painting is called Study after Velázquez's Portrait of Pope Innocent X and Velázquez's Portrait of Pope Innocent X was painted in 1650. Bacon died in 1626.




Anyway what I find helps with gaining context (or perspective) on a very basic level (with regards to modern art) is looking at photographs from the time a particular artwork was created.

Mondrian: twenties to forties (painting shown is from 1921)
           

Obviously this is a photo I've chosen somewhat arbitrarily after typing twenties into Google and it doesn't really prove anything, but it captures a certain mood of a certain time that contrasts starkly with the painting. I mean that's some "Cleopatra lived closer to us in time than to the building of the pyramids" type shit, to me at least.

[PhantomCatClock]

okay so I love this pipe. Spam and metaspam are my PASSIONS so to see bullshit in real art is the best. Except the guy explained it because people were MOST DISPLEASED WITH HIM and like come on man what the fuck. Treachery of your Heroes more like.

[PhantomCatClock]

Oh, you said that on the last page. AND YES I have seen ∞war



maybe I should read all the new posts before posting. One minute. UNLESS I HAVE NOTHING TO ADD! Who can know?

[GreyClock]

Maybe you can help me out? Do you know anything about boilers? I have one in my apartment and people say it's only economical to turn your boiler off if you're away for longer than (let's say about) a week. Because reheating the already hot water is cheaper than heating a cold tank. However, if you're not an animal and actually shower before you go away, the hot water is already gone. (It's not a big boiler, when I take long showers the hot water runs out at the end.) So not only does it have to heat up an entire tank the very night of your departure anyway, but it then has to keep that tank warm while you're away. Instead of heating up the tank on the night of your return, after you've turned it back on.  How's my logic? (The difference probably only boils down to a couple of cents or dollars, but still.)

[PhantomCatClock]

i hardly know 'er

[GreyClock]

Obviously this is a photo I've chosen somewhat arbitrarily after typing twenties into Google and it doesn't really prove anything, but it captures a certain mood of a certain time that contrasts starkly with the painting.

I was thinking about this last night, because even though it gives an insight into the atmosphere of the time and place it's probably somewhat muddled by the general aesthetic of the photograph, the grainy black and white thing, or similarly with movies of the time where people awkwardly stumble around or whatever... It's clear that olden times were not actually in black and white itself but on top of that there's no reason to assume that the human eye was different one hundred or two thousand years ago. So an average Roman Joe (Giuseppe? Iusepus?) looking out from the stands of Circus Maximus would have experienced it in full color, fluidity, detail etc. (better than Ben Hur, barring an eye disease). Same as as I'm sitting here vidying my surroundings. This is all pretty damn self-evident of course and I have no idea where I'm actually going with it or what my point is... I think it comes from growing up in the nineties maybe, and thinking television looked weird when compared to life. The 4:3 and velvety orange hue. Thanks for reading! Bye!

[RobClock]

you guys seen Infinity War yet?

Yes


6/10

[miracle fruit]

infinite war didnt have enough BLACK PANTHER

[Slurpee]

what was I going to say?

[PhantomCatClock]

a spoiler

[Slurpee]

oh

I remember now but I feel like I'd have to justify it because it's ridiculous and I'm too tired right now so instead I'll just say that also it was funny every time they cut to Bucky "dude with a gun" Barnes during an action scene
"'ey bucky, the universe is in peril"
"well, ive got nothing else on"
bdrrrdrrrdrrrdrrrdrrdrr! (these are gun noises) brdrrrdrrdrrrdrrr! (bucky is going to shoot Thanos the Mad Titan with an M249 light machine gun) brrdrrdrdrrrrdrrrdrrr

also also, does anybody actually give a shit about Maria Hill? did you even notice she's been in four of these movies?
somebody's reaction to seeing her had to have been "oh, it's Robin, from How I Met Your Mother"

[PhantomCatClock]

Without too many spoilers, I like what she did in the post-credits scene

[PhantomCatClock]

https://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/710758 fifene