Monday, January 11, 2010

Who isn't a poor artist these days, in the economic crisis?




















A funny old painting, The Poor Poet (1834) by Carl Spitzweg
has lost none of it's relevance in what it depicts. It can be of use
for reflections of the personal economic situation.
Presuming a sense of humor, it may assit when contemplating
such matters. That the economic is serious enough can be
gathered by many aspects. For instance, young irish people are
apparently coming to drastic conclusions at present when they
decide to emigrate to other countries for economic, job, reasons.

It may help to offset all those billionaire stories and get rich  quick
articles in the media that let people forget about their own
situation and didn't make anyone richer at all. It provides a basis
to think about the very existential needs in all relaxed ease. And
thus it may be comforting and inspiring when meditating over
financial matters when brainstorming.
It may also restore and regain lost self-esteem that was washed
away by all that media and advertising frenzy, not to mention the
priority of trivialities in the media. Thus it can assist to come to
terms, find the right ideas and problem solutions and consider
matters at length, take the time for it. That's what art is for.

Through the window snow covered roofs can be seen. It is
obviously cold. The tiles stove is not heated. The poor poet keeps
warm by staying on his matress, wearing his sleeping coat and
covering himself with a blanket. An umbrella protects his sleeping
place from dripping water coming through an obviously leaky roof.

Spitzweg, 1808 - 1885, lived in Germany all his life. He painted a
number of well know paintings. Considered an outsider bymost
art "experts" and reviewers who only had contempt for
him in his time, The Poor Peat  became one of the most popular
paintings, right after da Vinci's Mona Lisa among Germans a poll
found out early this century.



Books dealing with the lives, the circumstance and economies of
artists, for instance painters that lived centuries ago, have it in
them to make the reader hungry, make the stomach rumble. Every
bit matters.  A roasted chicken, a bottle of wine is eventually
greeted with joy when selling a painting. The economic history of
Dutch painters is for instance a history of personal good days and
bad days.

Czech writers, to name just one example, can be very appreciative
in their writings when it comes to cooking a soup, enjoying a meal
and things like. The Communist period was marked by food
rationing, people were subjected to a frugal life for a long time. That
personal experience is often reflected in their works, their books.
Russian writers are also often very descriptive, going into detail,
when it comes to getting a big chunk of meat, a scarce and thus
valuable commodity, cooking and eating it. A feast that is usually
- both in literature and in real life -  followed by Vodka.