Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Paul's Words

Paul surprised me at our evening fire pit discussion.

Paul being the kindest soft spoken art professor, a most respected fixture at our stone sculpture retreat, for many years donating his time to help us be better artists.

We, all mature men and women stone sculptors, listening to Paul in the dark as he spoke.

He started, “When I first became a professor at the university there were 23 men and 1 woman on the staff. Later the women left. When I retired there were 18 women and 4 men on the art staff.”

He raised his voice slightly, “Hang on and be true to your stone sculpture, you are working in something that is real. It's something you can touch and get a hold on.”

"Today's students and teachers will someday come around. All this pretentious fluff, this attitude that art needs to look like it dropped from the sky, with no human connection."

“So many years of nonsense still taught at a university level.”

“What is art, if not a human effort to create beauty and stimulate emotions and the imagination.”

“So you see change is slow, hang on, these teachers too in time will have enough confidence in their new role, and feel secure enough, to be honest.”

I held baited breath thinking this provocative statement wound stir the emotions of some of the sculptors. Nothing came forth from the darkness around the camp fire.

I was proud that Paul spoke words he felt, and remembered what Steiner told me after speaking my mind at a gathering in Mexico were many people left the dinner party in disagreement: "YOU CAN GET ALONG ANY PLACE IN THE WORLD, JOSEPH, AS LONG AS YOU DON'T SAY WHAT YOU THINK.”  

2 comments:

  1. In America, we are guaranteed Free Speech; but not a continued relationship, or even respect, if opinions differ in matters of core beliefs. Thus entertainment and sports fans can stroke one anothers egos during disagreements; but politics and religion are off-limits. So, of what value is Free Speech to the individual within their relationships?
    Its a rare treat to have a friend that one can safely discuss core political/philosophical/ideological differences with --- and these are choices made without the need for a constitutional right.

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