Anti-Art, Fragmentation & Lady Gaga, Part 1

These thoughts are brought to you as a result of a night plagued by insomnia, despite the gentle and relaxing sound of the rain falling on pebbles outside my window.

My church bible study group has recently been working through a video series presented by Dr Francis Schaeffer, 'How should we then live?' This essentially seems to be a series of documentaries commentating on our social ancestry; that is, looking at the progression of society up to what is now commonly referred to as 'western society', and some of the key philosophies and ideas which have shaped this journey, for better or for worse.

Last session, we looked at the Age of Fragmentation (AOF), which seems to encompass a number of events ca.1800-1960, and I thought I'd share some things we discussed; some of which I've reflected on further.

The AOF, as I understand it and can reasonably distil into a sentence or two, appears to represent a period in recent history where life and our world were perceived as meaningless - nothing has an overriding purpose. Two key areas which began to express this notion particularly well were art and music. In art, artists' subjects lost their realism and meaning, as they began to be represented abstractly with shapes and symbols (the work of Pablo Picasso is a good example). Furthermore, the notion of art itself appeared to be redefined, as the simple, mundane and even the absurd were elevated to greatness (see Marcel Duchamp's, Bicycle Wheel).

Similarly in the field of music, 'musician' John Cage made his mark. Music characterised by deliberate chance and confusion made Cage lauded as one of the most influential American composers of the 20th century, though this is perhaps best left for the individual to decide. His best-known composition, 4'33" (or 'Four minutes, thirty-three seconds), features three movements during which not a single note is played - just silence - and seems to represent the idea that any sounds (or indeed absence of sound) may constitute music.

(Watch Cage's 4'33" on YouTube)

Together, these expressions of music and art fail to represent the fullness and beauty of the universe, such as it is, reducing it (and the handful of us who reside here) to mere components; none with any meaning, and no component having any more inherent worth than what we sit on. The simple yet inexplicable beauty of a frangipani is held in as high esteem as spinning wheel on a seat. The sweet melodies of Pachelbel's Canon which have accompanied so many brides down the isle on their wedding day can be easily replaced with the twang of a rubber band against the background of a hundred guests shifting awkwardly in their creaky pews. In a universe of chaos, there is no order. In a world without meaning, nothing has worth.

But, as critics rightly point out, we cannot live on a foundation of pure chaos when we acknowledge order in the practicalities of day to day living; the aerodynamic principles which keep a plane in the air; the myriad of chemical signals, electrical signals, and finely-honed muscle movements, all involved in lifting a cup of coffee to your lips first thing in the morning. The full aesthetic nature of the universe can neither be denied as we acknowledge that most people would prefer to queue for hours to view Da Vinci's Mona Lisa, than gaze upon a black canvas. A recording of JS Bach's famous Tocatta and Fugue would sell marginally better than the swinging of a door on some creaky hinges.

To be continued. SG