Beach Ices at Praa Sands
Ice meeting the sand at the base of the low cliff behind Praa Sands Beach, West Cornwall. 6th January 2009....
Icicles at Trewellard Bottoms
Water seeping through a wall is turned to icicles, ate Trewellard Bottoms, where Geevor Mine meets the sea....
Winter Sunset at Levant
A late afternoon scene, at Levant Mine, West Cornwall. 7th January 2009....
Winter at Levant
The old electricity generator building, at Levant Mine, West Cornwall, during the recent cold snap. 7th Jnauary 2009....
Hi,
I write the content for Cornwall Today's art section. Recently we published a column titled Art Rant in which Mr Hubris contributed strong objection to work by the artist Swiftie.
The intention of the Art Rant column is to give a voice to provocative themes related to Cornwall's 'art scene'.
This column in particular has stirred quite a reaction - not least on this very site. In a bid to provide a balance to Mr Hubris's opinion I would like to let you know that I am looking for any responses that could be included in the next issue. Anyone wishing to contribute a response is welcome to reply on the forum or contact me at arts@cornwalltoday.co.uk
Thanks to anyone who would like to offer their opinion on the subject of "bad art" as quoted from Mr Hubris...see below for the full text from the column, which was published in the March issue.
It would be helpful if you could let me know as you write if you are happy for your words to appear in the Art Rant response column. Just include 'can publish' or 'can't publish' after your message.
many thanks
Chloe
"ART RANT"
Love it or hate it, what do you think about art in Cornwall? Prompted by the following letter we decided to open the gates for some healthy debate. This month, we let Mr Hubris have his say about an artist called Swiftie:
“It is my duty as President and founding member of the Anti Swiftie
Association to write to you about your choice of artist for the November issue of Cornwall Today.
I have very much enjoyed your writing in the past, but when I read yet another smug, self-satisfying artist’s diary I must question your judgement. It was difficult enough to read the ramblings of Andrew Litten but this month it was too much to bear as you chose to select an “artist” who calls himself “Swiftie”. To me (and many others) Swiftie is nothing more than a charlatan who is arrogantly urinating on the wall carefully built up by true and masterful artists such as my personal favourites Frank Bramley and the more contemporary Nick Williams. I derive great pleasure from The Arts in Cornwall and believe they should be taken seriously.
I founded the A.S.A in early 2006 after taking my wife Catherine to the Vitreous Gallery in Truro. We were both unaware of Swiftie’s work at that time. Walking in the gallery we were confronted with “a sculpture” of an enormous pile of excrement. “Disgusting” my wife exclaimed, quite rightly, and walked out in protest to wait in the car. I explored the rest of the exhibition and remained appalled and dismayed as to why it was even deemed as art.
In October of this year I joined the debate on the Cornwall 24 website about Swiftie and modern art in Cornwall and it was here that the A.S.A first publicly voiced our view of Swiftie and his ilk. One comment included: ““Comparing Nick Williams' work to Swiftie's is like comparing a Mozart symphony with a toddler smashing randomly on a pull-along xylophone.”
I felt it was important to make the presence of the A.S.A known to Cornwall Today’s readers, offering them the chance to join us in our aim to, as we say at the A.S.A, “Stamp Out Bad Art”.”
Mr P Hubris, President of the ASA, 2006
Anti Swiftie Association
anti-swiftie@hotmail.co.uk
Here we go again, sigh. Even though I agree with Hubris on his view of Swifty's Art, I do not agree with his actions. I have posted before that, if People want to view his Work as Art, then they are entitled to do so. It's like the Work of that Bloke who drew matchstick figures, I forget his name, well I think it is no better than what some Kid's do. There are those however that think it's Art, different Folk's different strokes. At the end of the Day, there are far more important issues than this. World Famine, the Cornish Situation etc. I say to Hubris, put your efforts into something worthwhile.
Glad to hear you agree with me angofbew... we are on the same side no?
Cornish Situation? - it's all part of the same thing, wise up.. this is affecting you in more ways than you might think - except this is something you might actually make a difference with.
The artist you speak of - Lawrence Stephen Lowry ?
No Hubris, I am not on your side at all. Do not misunderstand what I posted. The only thing I agree with you on is, that I do not look upon Swifty's Work as Art, nor Lowry's. BUT I do not like what you are doing. Art is all about personal choice, and you are attempting to not allow others to make that choice. YOU are in the wrong here, your websire is a disgrace and so are yor attempts to Censure what others 'might' regard as Art.
angofbew - are you happy to be quoted if Cornwall Today prints a reply to Mr Hubris?
thanks for responding to the subject and hello again Mr Hubris - good to see some debate sparked over the issues you raised concerning Swiftie.
Art that stirs people into critical response is playing an important role.
In the words of Danish artist Asger Jorn "Tension in a work of art is negative-positive, repulsive-attractive, ugly-beautiful. If one of these poles is removed only boredom is left"
I know a Cornish artist who paints pastel coloured square boxes and talks out their arty-farty arse at every opportunity. Another one I know was autistic as a child, their art is quite abstract. The difference I noticed is that if you gave them both a pencil as said "draw that view out the window" the autistic one would blow you away with their abilities and natural skill, the square box painter (art college kiddy) wouldn't be able to do any better than me and I'm crap at art.
You say that YOU do not look upon Swifite's 'work' as art, therefore YOU agree with me...
I'm wondering why you felt the need to write that that in the first place... we are playing the same instrument but slightly different tunes.
There is nothing wrong with what I am doing.
People who disagree with me might well be right... but I am slightly more right than them
Simple really.
I could use someone like you on the A.S.A... do something worthwhile, join us.
You actually don't care which way the coin falls if at all - so long as it generates more copy.
It looks like you are manoeuvering yourself into a win/win position - whatever 'hubris' might come up with next will merely be more grist to your media mill.
Have you considered that perhaps the most artistic, socially and politically aware alteration you could make to your glossy front cover is to remove the offensive anglo-imperialist/colonist term 'county' ?
I will warn you however: I don't think you will like what you see... There are maybe only one or two artists there who look like they can even begin to draw.
So because your missus didn't like it, you think that you are 'right' to define for the rest of the world what is and is not art? Oh my, lets hope swiftie doesn't do a nice sculpture of a forehead with a thumbprint on it.....
I used to live just up the road from the Vitreous gallery and thought that almost all of it was tat anyways, but I wouldn't stop anyone wasting their money on it if that's what they wanted to do.
I don't have any real interest in what swiftie is up to and don't care either as long I don't end with the bill for clearing up some mess he has made. He has an important use, we need him cos like now he evokes thoughts and gives us views of something we may or may not have, whether the thoughts are him or his art is not an issue, he is in no way dull.
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There are maybe only one or two artists there who look like they can even begin to draw.