Welcome to Enlighten Dogma an on going self examination of the truth as it has Evolved for me during the pass 52 years of my life. The presentation of materials Will be formatted generally by short random statements of truth. Such statements are Derived from the observations of an artist, whose works often reveal their own truths.
First as a way of giving you an idea of the seriousness of what I am about to say, allow me to issue the following Warning that the Reading of the material here in may result in blindness, death or the need to have sex.
Followed by a disclaimer insisted upon by my attorney, stating that the Author at the time of these writings was not Of his right mind, and is not responsible for its content.
Now that I have fulfilled my required legal obligations. I will begin by answering the question what is the purpose of Life. The purpose of life is two fold, On the physical side It is procreation, On the emotional side often referred to as the spiritual it is the reinventing of our selves. This reinventing defines us as an individual, and gives purpose to our existence.
What is our importance to the universe. Our importance is self importance in other words The universe does not care. But we sure better.
What is art, art is the deliberate conscious creation of humanity by humanity and about humanity and not some random act of nature or other circumstance. Art does not exist in The absence of humanity.
We are a physically bound entity created of flesh and blood. It is by this physical presence that we are connected to this world, and certain needs and desires. The most dominant of these after substance, is sexuality (the relentless need to procreate, this desire has been sugar coated, for what ever reason to ensure our compliance.) and Mortality the realization, of the end of our physical existence.
Art is the embodiment of our emotional soul on its eternal quest for enlightenment and Immortality. Art serves no greater purpose then to inspire our purpose of being. For it is Not life that gives purpose but purpose that gives life.
All knowledge has existed from the beginning of time. The slowness of realization is the Result of our physical limitations to comprehend its meaning.
To see clearly our purpose of life, we first must stop poking each other in the eye.
It is my contention that as for our intelligence, while we all have the ability to see down the road of life, some further than others none of us possess the ability to see to its end.
Art for me is conceptual: the rendering or portrayal of a scene or object as it has been Manipulated and then interpreted by the imagination. As opposed to the Narrative: that is the portrayal or rendering of a scene or object as it appears in real time, absent of human Interference or manipulation.
Religion a response to mortality and a chaotic world. It is the golden parachute to the other side, a means to an end a reason of purpose a flicker of hope in the great unknown A means of bringing order to chaos and defining the human experience of consciousness from birth to death and beyond.
Mans obsession of where life begins is trivial until he comes to the realization that All life is significant and not to be discarded in or outside of the womb.
Beauty: without substance can not long endure.
A truly significant piece of art represents the emotional state of the artist at the time of Its realization. A viewer who relates to a particular work of art is seeing reflected back to Him a piece of his own emotional soul.
The world we inhabit has been sculptured to the needs of man it is his reality that defines it.
Love: a response to a physical stimuli.
True Love : Is the emotional response to the absence of physical desire.
Good and Evil : Two sides of the same coin. Hosted by man they are terms used to describe human behavior. Evil the desecration of life. Good the preservation of life.
Art and Religion : Both share some common traits , sacrifice, the willingness to endure Hardship, in the attempt of attaining ones true purpose. Belief : a strength of purpose in what can not be physically proven ( in religion this would be faith ) ( in art this would be in ones self ) and Immortality : the hope that there is something more to life than death ( in religion this would be the retrieval of the soul ) ( in art this would be the recognition of the work.
While beauty might be ageless it is not timeless.
Money can insulate but can not isolate us from the sometimes harsh realities of life. It Does however fill in many of the pot holes, and makes for a more comfortable ride.
Mankind a dichotomy of good and evil as defined and divided by the physical and the moral presence of his existence. In the absence of whom neither exist. So the many Deities and demons that permeate our lives are the manifestation of our fears and insecurities of who we are but for some in whose name they are spoken aloud , they are a means of control and intimidation of behavior.
Morality is the soul of man, his emotional being, as compared to his physical being. Physical proof of the existence of the soul can be found in the salty tears that run down our cheeks.
The more art is manipulated and transformed into mans vision the more it becomes art, and part of the woven fabric of our lives.
How art is defined is a matter of purpose, for while many man made objects display an intrinsic beauty, they have been created to serve a function.
Pure art serves no greater purpose than to inspire and reflect.
The degree to which a work of art is deemed art should be derived from the Artists conceptual originality (style) and mastering of medium.
A good piece of art should incorporate strong visual elements composed in a harmonious structure.
A great piece has all of the above, and message blended such that it does not interrupt the visual interpretation.
Art is the embodiment of human emotion, its the struggle to define our purpose.
Color unless used as the primary element to define a work, assumes an ancillary roll as a modifier to the work. ( It is the desert not the meal )
Just as there exist an intellect of intelligence so does their exist an artistic intellect, it is the emotional road map of who we are.
A question do you buy art to match the sofa or the sofa to match the art.
A resourceful Artists is an opportunist who takes advantage of the transitional state of materials. (12/13/06 )
I once thought that if one started a line on a piece of paper that the line would end on the same piece of paper. That sort of reasoning keeps us from moving beyond the piece of paper. We are only bound by our (Biology) our physical limitations. Our physiological limitations our often self induced. (12/13/06 )
I stand before you in the torn and tattered remnants of a human ideal called "freedom". Once a harbinger of the weak and oppressed, now a panhandler soliciting the lies and drugs of my enemies. Stripped of my dignity I have been spat upon; burned and laughed at on the world stage. Betrayed by the politicians who bastardized me before my enemies. I am treated as a crack whore, high on the infidelities of wealth and power. A victim of moral and social anarchy. My arms, once strong and outstretched, welcoming all who would embrace me, now dangle weak and infirmed, shriveled in apathy. Once a proud symbol of truth and honor, I am now a tarnished relic of hypocrisy and scandal. '' I AM AMERICA '' by Curtis Salonick (1/03/07 )
A Template for Judging Photography:
Passive Narrative: A Scene or object as it is rendered in real time, void of human manipulation {image recorded in camera}.
Conceptual Narrative: A scene or object that has been manipulated to conform to the image makers version {image recorded in camera}.
Conceptual Realization: The realization of imagination, a scene or object not physically bound to reality, formulated in the conscious or unconscious thoughts of the image maker. {The capture of the image is just the first step, a variety of image manipulation techniques are employed outside the camera}. 4/25/08
Art is the physical manifestation of human emotion, it can generally be segmented into two categories: Passive and Confrontational the degree to which any work is segmented is determined by its narration, and complexity of elements. 04/25/08
Passive: Requires minimum interpretation as it is judged primarily on its aesthetic values.
Confrontational: Challenges the moral and social gnomes of the society of its origin {it is more message oriented}.
It is the physical that binds us to reality and makes us mortal.
It is the Emotional that liberates us from reality and makes us immortal.
We respond physically / We react emotionally.
The Physical gives us purpose / The Emotional gives us reason. 4/25/08
THE REALITY THAT WE KNOW
The Reality that we know can be compared to us checking into, a very large very old hotel and being given all the keys to all the rooms. The rooms represent Knowledge, the keys represent our physical ability to open the doors. But do to our physical limitations all the keys appear identical to one another. This reality causes us through a process of elimination to have to try each of the keys in each of the doors until one opens.
Artist : Curtis Salonick 01/29/09
The rendering of an image in any media does not necessarily make is Art.
Art is an expression of human emotion and the purposeful physical manifestation of the Artists will. 01/29/09
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Art serves no greater purpose then to inspire and reflect, on our presents. 01/29/09
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Art is the confluence of our physical reaction and emotional expression. 01/29/09
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Our presents in the scheme of things can be compared to that of a single
thread woven into the the fabric of a large garment. Our significance is to ourselves. Our
allegiance is to the continuum of Life's purpose.
Art is the physical manifestation of human emotion. It is an inspired reality of humanity, by humanity and about humanity. Art does not exist in the absence of humanity. 01/29/09
The Elements that define Art :
Concept - The shared interrelationship of the different physical components, that comprise the work.
Composition - The orderly arrangement of elements, predicated on a human predisposition that best represents an emotional reality.
Technique - The knowledge and skill required to transform an emotional concept into a physical representation of reality.
Perspective - The visual interpretation of our physical Reality. Its proper use can be an integral part in the optimum representation of an image.
Its components including depth, height, distance and angle play a crucial role in the final visualization.
Lighting - That which reveals and embellishes the image.
The viewer that finds relevance in a particular work of art, does so threw a shared emotional commonality with the artist.
The reality of Good and Evil exist only in the heart of Mankind..
Art similar to life is founded on redundancy. The reinterpretation of reason.
Art is the result of purposeful human intent. 01/29/09
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Art is not a competition, but an expression of human emotion.
Criteria for Judging
Narrative - A scene or object as it appears in real time,void of human intervention .( image is captured in camera )
Subjective - A scene or object predicated on the repositioning of elements as to the Artist reinterpretation of a perceived reality. ( image is captured in camera )
Conceptual - A scene or object whose parts or whole my exist outside of reality. ( image my be captured in camera, but then other disciplines my be applied outside of the camera in completion of the image. ) 01/29/09
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Emotion - The moral implications of it, is what defines us as humans . 01/29/09
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Art is an emotional reaction of our physical world, it is a mortal imperative.
Art is the mapping of the emotional and sexual influences brought to bear on the Artist, threw his or her social, religious, and physical realities. 01/29/09
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Maturity - The pound of flesh that life exacts from our dreams.
The purpose of life is procreation, the reason for life is what we do in the mean time.
The grapes of freedom are being crushed beneath our feet as we drunkenly drink the wine.
Purpose is the bread of life. Reason is what you place between the slices.
The only imperative is physical. Everything else is defined by our Reality.
Art does not define purpose. But rather reason of purpose.
Our Reality is defined by our ability to cope with our physical limitations. 01/29/09
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