Joseph Campbell On the Wings of Art..What Art Is

"Proper art, of course, means art performing a function that is proper to art - the kind of function only art can serve.  And improper art is art in the service of something else."  

 Joseph Campbell, "The Power of Myth"

Joseph Campbell   philosopher,  historian,  theologian and Joyce scholar often addressed Classical and Modern aesthetic theory. His point of view and definition of art  guides me  in  my approach to image making and understanding of what art is.   The following   is a  portion  of a lecture given  by Joseph Campbell from an  audio tape titled:

 On the Wings of Art: Joseph Campbell; Joseph Campbell on the Art of James Joyce (1995)

"He..James Joyce... distinguishes between what he calls proper and improper art. Proper art of course means art performing a function that is proper to art. The kind of function only art can serve. And improper art is art in the service of something else."

"Now that’s the big thing. I see some notes being taken so draw a line down the middle of the page and put on the left “proper” and on the right “improper” and the whole thing will come out very clearly."

"Proper art, says Joyce, is “static” and improper art is “kinetic.” Kinisis, as you know, means movement and Stasis, as you know, means standing still."

"Kinisis: Improper art is kinetic in that it moves the observer either to desire, positive, or to loathe or fear, negative, that object represented. That’s clear and simple. Improper art is kinetic, it moves the observer either to desire or to refuse, to fear or hate the object represented.

Art that moves you to desire is pornography. The Supreme Court of the United States can’t define pornography, therefore, that’s what we have. All advertising art is pornographic. You are going through a magazine and you see a picture of a beautiful refrigerator and beside it stands a lovely girl with lovely refrigerator teeth. And you think, I love refrigerators like that. Pornography. Picture of a dear old lady and you think, “Oh, lovely old sweet soul, I’d love to have a cup of tea with that dear lady.” That’s pornography. You go into a ski buffs department and you see pictures of ski slopes and you think, “oh, wow, to go down slopes like that.” Pornography."

"You get it? It has to do with a relationship to the object that’s that of social, physical or otherwise action. You are not held in aesthetic arrest. Wow. What a picture. You get the point?"

 

The complete text