A Little Levity

What the Pest Control Man Said...
(Author Unknown)

Over the years, I have approached many topics in this blog, ranging from the philosophical to the practical. But I don't think I have ever entered into the realm of humor. In an effort to remedy that, I am posting some material today that pokes fun at the art world. Gently or not!

Some of this content comes from the book Playing to the Gallery, by Grayson Perry. Perry is a British artist. A transvestite potter, to be precise. He has been awarded the Turner Prize by the Tate Gallery in London. His wonderful little book was shared with me by a dear friend. Hope you will enjoy a couple of Perry's pithy quotations and illustrations!

How can you tell if a work is really Art, with a Capital A? Perry suggests the "Handbag and Hipster" test. "If there are lots of people with beards and glasses and single-speed bikes, or oligarchs' wives with great big handbags looking a bit perturbed and puzzled by what they are staring at, then it's probably art."

A second test is the "Rubbish Dump Test". Place the artwork being tested on to a rubbish dump. It only qualifies as art if a passer-by spots it and wonders why an artwork has been thrown away.

To judge the quality of Art, Perry offers the Gauge above. His instructions (written sideways on left): "Hold the card next to artwork and judge which location it would look most at home in". Hmmm. Mom's back bedroom, Elton John's lawn, Tate Gallery?? I notice he did not go so low as the dumpster.

OK, now that we have poked some fun at the art world, I will close with a little pun. Thanks for reading!