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Arts w Scene The Art Of Analysis If we are to work to advance the art scene on the North Shore, it seems imperative that we scrutinize it closely in order to determine its precise character and qualities, its strengths and its weaknesses. Exactly what do we mean by the word, art? What are its functions? Who are the artists? Where do they exhibit or perform? How are they received? Who are their patrons? Who are their critics? What are the institutions that fund and support them? Only by addressing a l l these questions honestly and objectively can we hope to arrive at a realistic evaluation of what has already been accomplished and what remains to be achieved. By subjecting the North Shore Art Scene to the kind of critical analysis we might apply to a work of art itself, we can draw valuable conclusions from which to evolve decisive objectives and positive expectations. Over the course of the following issues of Arts Access, this column proposes to address all the above questions and thereby become a crucible of investigation and analysis. Hopefully, it will also provide a forum provocative enough to elicit responses, pro and con, from its readership. Since the art scene will be our focus let's look a moment at the meaning of the word art. Understanding what art is will ultimately give an indication of how to proceed with its advancement To proceed intelligibly, however, it will be necessary to establish a few definitions at the onset--if only to provide a "Body Alpha"--or fixed frame of reference for what is to follow. Otherwise we will all succumb to the confusion of uncoordinated perceptions. For the sake of argument, consider the following succinct definition: everything is art that is not nature. In common usage the word art is virtually meaningless: everything, it would appear, is art so long as there is a sensibility to define and appreciate it as such. The academic concept A r t , on the other hand is not so nebulous an entity for it is defined by the criteria of aesthetics and the selectivity of history. Precisely whose "aesthetics" and whose "history" are bones of contention best left in the closet for the time being. But without hazarding to offend the semantics of the issue, one can safely assume that not all art is A r t For if all artifact were Art, every bubble-gum wrapper picked up off the street Arts Access Autumn 1991 and, as such, so highly relative as to be without meaning. No culture has a monopoly on what is beautiful or true. Everything is a matter of context. What then are the criteria by which to judge? In fact, those qualities prerequisite to a fine work of art are few in number and universally applicable to all manifestations of art, irrespective of time, place or culture. Moreover, they apply equally to all art forms: myth, literature, music and so on. (Arguably even to science, philosophy and religion for, strictly speaking, they are also examples of artifice!) Traditionally, the primary elements we look for in a work of art are: Integrity. Harmony and Clarity. By Integrity is understood wholeness and inner logic, an honest accord with its own intrinsic values. By Harmony is understood consistency, the congruous interaction of its parts. By Clarity is understood transparency, the unobscured radiance of its contents. A fine woik of art requires all three and to such degree as to be immediately evident even to an uninformed sensibility. The degree to which it possesses them with respect to other works is the degree to which it may be considered better or worse by comparison. Such secondary elements as originality or individuality, so highly esteemed by our own times, we can only acknowledge as optional or incidental. Originality (or even profundity for that matter!) is of questionable value i f the work that embodies it is aesthetically void otherwise. By now, you may well ask, "What can all this possibly have to do with furthering the art scene on the North Shore?" The concise answer to that question can be summed up in a single word: Education. In order to achieve standards of excellence, it is first necessary to establish a definition of excellence with respect to art generally. And the ideal means to accomplish this is the magazine you hold in your hands. Arts Access can communicate ideas as readily as it can inform of events. Moreover, if it is to represent the artistic community, it would do well to set a creative example to it, both in form and substance. A concerted effort to do so is, in itself, as much a work of "art" as it is a labour of love, and as such would only benefit i f it were undertaken with the combined resources of clarity, harmony and integrity working on its behalf. I*- Ron Falcioni, Ron Falcioni, Director, Gallery Alpha Photo by Cindy Goodman, Courtesy: North Shore News would be a valuable acquisition. Ideally, the word, art, describes not merely what we make but the means by which we make i t But in the end we do ourselves a great disservice if, by failing to enlist the "art" of analysis, we fail to discern what is really worth preserving. What this column proposes to assert, among other things, is the fact that, unlike that unpretentious bubble-gum wrapper, much that claims to be Art is merely ephemeral artifact and too often aesthetically questionable artifact at that "Everything is art that is not nature.'* If all artifact is at least potentially art, it is necessary to isolate the significant criteria by which to distinguish the fine examples from the mediocre. Generally speaking it is easier to define poor art than it is to identify the truly original manifestations that occur. A comic book illustration or illuminated manuscript, for example, are in no way intrinsically inferior aesthetically to an immense abstract or a delicate still-life. Extrinsically they may be less desirable within the context of a specific social milieu. Moreover, one cannot judge the "value" of a work solely on the basis of whether or not it is beautiful or true since truth and beauty are themselves value judgements Director, Gallery Alpha H Page 8