Wolf-
I've divided your letter into three sections- an attempt to interpret each of the three and to find correlations...
The first section making reference to "modern" art, pertaining to Expressionism, Art Brut, or even moreso the COBRA GROUP- who began in 1948 with the manifesto: "The esthetic principle must be abolished. We are not disillusioned because we have no illusions. We do not even know the laws of esthetics and the old idea of choice according the principle of beautiful and ugly... is dead for us, us for whom beautiful is also ugly, for whom everything that is ugly also has beauty in it..." Even my sound work, which is often referred to as "noise music", has precedents in the Futurist movement, as Luigi Russolo wrote "The Art Of Noises" in 1916. (a nearly scientific treatise and categorization of 'types' of noises and their musical applications).
(Wolf writes in margins: "Esthetics: no laws, only agreements. Esthetics is of little concern to the historians, priests, bankers, police, dictators. Ethics must be considered as a priority over profit, docility, hero worship, manner, creed. Ethics makes for the stronger bond after mother-father love for child. woman - man / friends - are subject to ethics)
Here you've written a strong statement: "to become aware that this is not 'art' but life and that if he goes further there is the end?" But you finish it with a question mark because 1. can we go any further? and 2 if we can go further what does await? (only an ending?)
There is an evolution happening for those who choose to follow that path, a path that is obviously very personal and can only be charted (uniquely) by the individual. We know that fighting disease with antibiotics evolves the virus, improves it's ability over time to defeat the antibiotic, so a difficult path is not without it's casualties. But most are not brave enough to choose anything that presents obstacles- and the path of least resistance saves energy but doesn't promote change. In seeing clearly, we must accept the fact that art cannot cause social revolution- any aesthetic breakthrough is (probably) only relevant to the individual.
Jackson Pollock pushed painting to the brink, but not the end and, really, a new beginning (even when there are those who push the ideas that we could not go further). So, you're correct in saying that there is still much to be seen. Section 2 of your letter explains the reason for art having the need to push the "victim" to the brink, because his indoctrination will not allow him to see. Plato's cave...
Evolution takes place on a small scale, the triumph is a personal one! Just because Pollock's (or Van Gogh's) works now sell for millions doesn't mean that the buyer, or public, understand them any better. The ones who assign dollar value to art are keeping us caught in a quagmire. If they can diminish or eliminate wholly the importance of personal (r)evolution, they will use many cunning tricks to do so. With art, it is the joke of playing money games with it. With Jesus it is religious tomfoolery. With most of the others, Krishnamurti, Bertrand Russell, the passage of time and obscurity. (after awhile it is impossible to find them, they've been essentially wiped out of history for the majority of people)
In the third section of your letter is the resolution of ugliness into beauty. Because we can see the reason and necessity in the approach- that the motivation is out of love. Will the majority understand and see it? Will they have the strength and conviction to strip away the mystification, the silliness, the irrelevances?
Even within my own self, where I feel all the same events (or non-events) that happen to everyone else, mine is a guarded sleep, abrupt awakenings, fighting against laziness. Remember you told me once that your reason for teaching had something to do with "dialogue"- a feeling or a wish to communicate. What a disappointment to have the student turn a blind eye, but what a thrill to find the few who can learn, share and reflect back on the light you've given!
And those are things I learned from you, those are things I share with you. I have found my "few" just as you have found yours. I'm glad to have been your student and friend my dear Wolf...
