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4.28 AVERAGE
4.28 AVERAGE
"Bluntly put, as long as white scholars feel that they are doing black folks a favor when they critically engage black culture or that they necessarily know more than any could ever know, then racism remains unchanged."
This one was hard to get through. I think I was expecting more of a broad take on art in general, and there is some of that, but it was mostly hooks praising one specific artist in each essay, and if you didn't know about them before it's hard to follow the analysis because *most times we don't have a picture of the work in question*.
We also get a bunch of interviews which honestly didn't feel like added that much considering there were often full paragraphs of a single person talking. It felt like transcriptions of two friends' unplanned conversation: there are some great takes but they're peppered in rambling about the subject.
Still, bell hooks essays on art are incredible, and the one about photography and black culture particularly stayed with me. It's undeniable that even if you don't necessarily agree with something she says, she says it with perfect precision.
I think that every BIPOC artist/designer should read this book to better help both you and your audience ; understand how to better craft your perspective as an artist through your work.
I wanted to like this more, but just couldn't. While it did get me thinking about things like art education and the seeming need for art critics to shape their views and writing to expectations put on them by Eurocentric norms and practices, it didn't do much in terms of giving me more to look at in terms of reviews and writing that were accesible or embraced what there is of AfAm visual art tradition.
In the few turns she takes at it, of writing about the art and interviewing artists themselves, hooks really can't escape the verbosity nor the urge to gush over her interview subjects, often outpacing them for lines. In more example than one, she gushes on for 200-300 words, only for the artist to respond "Yes." If this is what art crit is, even without the Eurocentrism, it's definitely apt to not appeal to anyone but the moneyed and social strata who look at art in terms of investment value instead of aesthetics or visceral connections.
In the few turns she takes at it, of writing about the art and interviewing artists themselves, hooks really can't escape the verbosity nor the urge to gush over her interview subjects, often outpacing them for lines. In more example than one, she gushes on for 200-300 words, only for the artist to respond "Yes." If this is what art crit is, even without the Eurocentrism, it's definitely apt to not appeal to anyone but the moneyed and social strata who look at art in terms of investment value instead of aesthetics or visceral connections.
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
informative
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
Impactful to how I view myself, my art practice and the world
this is for dr. grant (the professor who assigned this for the first day of his class). if you’re not him, keep scrolling!
as i’m sure you’re well aware, i skimmed this for our first meeting despite your insistence that we not come to class if we hadn’t read. all these years later, i see why, and i have no excuses but lots of things i wish i drew upon in that discussion. while i wasn’t familiar with most of the works or artists hooks investigates in her essays and interviews prior to reading, her dedication to detail and appreciation for subject are inspiring to say the least. not to mention her prose on the matter!
if i had a time machine, i’d go back and i’d ask about her reference to andres serrano’s work “blood and soil”. i’d wax poetic about her essay “beauty laid bare: aesthetics in the ordinary”. but i don’t, and i can’t bring them up now because you’re gone. and i miss you and i’m forever sorry for the time i wasted as your student and after, but i’m so grateful for the seeds our time planted. every time i read or study or research something, i think of you. i hope you’re resting peacefully.
as i’m sure you’re well aware, i skimmed this for our first meeting despite your insistence that we not come to class if we hadn’t read. all these years later, i see why, and i have no excuses but lots of things i wish i drew upon in that discussion. while i wasn’t familiar with most of the works or artists hooks investigates in her essays and interviews prior to reading, her dedication to detail and appreciation for subject are inspiring to say the least. not to mention her prose on the matter!
if i had a time machine, i’d go back and i’d ask about her reference to andres serrano’s work “blood and soil”. i’d wax poetic about her essay “beauty laid bare: aesthetics in the ordinary”. but i don’t, and i can’t bring them up now because you’re gone. and i miss you and i’m forever sorry for the time i wasted as your student and after, but i’m so grateful for the seeds our time planted. every time i read or study or research something, i think of you. i hope you’re resting peacefully.
challenging
dark
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
hooks' works are always tinged with gold from her touch; while this is certainly one of her more theory-littered works, the ideas of broader aestheticization incite either empathy or relatabikity depending on readership. I need to start reading theory for fun more often!
informative
reflective
slow-paced
I don’t think I’m smart enough for this book. I enjoyed parts but my eyes crossed in other parts. I think listening on audio book would have been better!
challenging
informative
reflective
slow-paced