Goofy Gray Lady

If you read this essay and not offended, I rest my case. If offended because it is written by a classicalist, then perhaps such readers possess tradition-phobic or moral-phobic tendencies.

Photo by Frederick R. Smith December 2020

It is not the language of painters but the language of nature which one should listen to, the feeling for the things themselves, for reality, is more important than the feeling for pictures.
Vincent Van Gogh

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This essay is a repost of my January 2, 2021, write-up. As an update, the pink thing depicted as the title photo is gone from the physical site. Happy-Clappy Halloween.

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Caution, references to salacious topics abound herein. Your author wishes to show respect for those with morals, values, and principles; something missing from the authors of the source documents at the New York Times. Thus, do not read this if you think you will be offended. If you read and are not offended, I rest my case. If offended because a classicalist writes it, then perhaps such readers possess tradition-phobic or moral-phobic tendencies.

I snapped the title photograph at the end of 2020 and sharing it sparked some energetic thoughts and discussions. Curiously, an associate stumbled on a New York Times (aka Gray Lady) article from December 8, 2003, titled “Transvestite Potter Wins Turner Prize in Art.”¹ After reading the article and conducting some added research, here is the scoop.

The Turner Prize, based in England, has “artist” endowment rewards with few paintings entered as works. An earlier story in the Goofy Gray Lady (GGL) reporting the result of the Turner Prize was titled “Shocking! Offensive! But Being Pleasant is Beside the Point.” That story title illustrates GGL’s warm and fuzzy feelings and introduces us to the new art worldview.

The 2003 Turner “award” went to Grayson Perry, a transvestite, who received £20,000 ($33,000) for his fine work.² Mr. Perry appeared at the December 7, 2003, exhibition as “Claire,” dressed in a “flowery blue frock” embroidered with the word “sissy.” Perry, married and has a daughter, has recently been making waves in art. Domestic violence, class division, and pedophilia are the main elements of his imaginary world. And stay tuned for further details.

In addition to the commotion about Mr. Perry, GGL focused some love on the “Chapman Brothers.” That artistically (gag me with a spoon) inclined duo is well known for their first work consisting of child mannequins with genitalia growing from various body parts. That sounds just cute! So, what was Chapman’s entry for the 2003 Turner Prize? Two blowup dolls arranged in such a manner as to show an act of oral sex. While I do not know the gender (or otherwise) mix of these two adult bookstore blowup dolls, reports say this fine work is anatomically complete (or perhaps incomplete by today’s standards). The Chapmans have also created other elaborate models showing unnatural sex acts, death, and mutilation. Subsequently, the art fans noticed their chess set in which the board pieces have male organs for noses and rear ends for mouths.

GGL has an “exquisite” sense of sound art. Their December 8, 2003, article showed that Mr. Perry’s works of art with vases addressing pedophilia and child abuse are shocking due to his “… good draftsmanship and sense of design.” So, the good writers of the GGL believe that Mr. Perry’s depiction of pedophilia results from good draftsmanship. I wonder if the GGL would have similar views for artists who used their “good draftsmanship” to depict the gory consequence of abortion. We know the answer to that question.

The GGL must feel sorry for Mr. Perry as they reported that he had a lousy childhood. So, there you have it. Let the GGL know about your dreadful childhood, and you find yourself knighted into the brotherhood of good artistry. That is in line with the bleeding-heart philosophy of our good friends at the GGL.

What were the titles given to some of Mr. Perry’s vases? How about “We’ve Found the Body of Your Child,” “I Was an Angry Working-Class Man,” and “Weeds Are Just Plants in the Wrong Place.” Thought-provoking, to say the least. It is a wonder how many linguistic professors conjure up these great titles. On the vase “We’ve Found the Body of Your Child,” there are the phrases “All Men Are Bastards” and “Never Have Kids.” It is a wonder if the GGL and the “arts” community at large would have been enthusiastic about Perry’s “work” if it said, “All Women Are Bastards.” I think not.

Later in their article, the GGL indicated that the transvestite’s art is “… seemingly appealing to primitive instincts, [and] Mr. Perry’s drawings on the vases are more subversive, designed not to shock but to raise questions.” Again, it is necessary to raise the question — would the GGL make the same statement concerning artwork about abortion? Imagine the GGL writing: “The artist’s finished product depicting the aborted unborn baby appeals to primitive instincts, and the illustrations are more subversive, designed not to shock but to raise questions.” Again, I think not.

One of Perry’s earlier stunts was to have himself photographed, as Claire, standing on the steps of a British art gallery and holding up a banner reading: “No More Art.” During this “protest,” he challenged the strange people of the world to produce even more outlandish ways to express themselves. Mr. Perry claims that his status as a potter and his penchant for cross-dressing nicely fit together: 

“One of the reasons I dress up as a woman is my low self-esteem, to go with the image of women being seen as second-class… It is like pottery. That’s seen as a second-class thing, too… I didn’t get here by being serious. I got here by dressing up in frocks and mucking about. That’s basically what artists do, isn’t it?  They’re paid muckers-about. You’re not solving the world’s problems. You’re mucking about.”

And the Turner Prize endowment staff includes judges. Yes, indeed, but why are there judges? Undoubtedly, the “artists” (for lack of a better word) could have done anything imaginable, which makes it impossible (in my mind) to conclude. For example, how does one judge the work of the Chapmans, who have said: “We mean to create a model of two people engaged in oral sex and call it Death.” 

All the above aside, it is clear that the art community has succeeded in being overtly shocking and offensive. Beyond imagination, the arts and crafts community believes this detestable garbage is somehow “art.” Two blowup dolls engaged in oral sex is art. It must take exceptional mental ability and physical agility to take something off the shelf of an adult bookstore and make it “art.” Now that’s a natural talent!

Democracy is great!

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1. The object in the photo exists along the side of a busy street in a large city. To protect the guilty and innocent, I shall not disclose the location. I was not actively operating a vehicle but (stopped at a traffic light).

2. The word processor says: “The word transvestite may offend some people. Consider using more inclusive language.”