Attila

Walter's remarks about "sophisticated art" vs. "kitsch (meaning cheap, uneducated, pop-art)" brings back some interesting memories from the time when I still lived in Europe (Budapest, Wienna, Salzburg and Paris).

I used to hang out (be part of) with the intellectual elite, like poets, actors, painters. We used to look down on the taste of the crowd with less artistic sophistication (never mind that sometimes they had much more fun than us). I've seen with my own eyes that sometimes "artistic sophistication" can lead to a road where art become "intellectualized" and thus it is no fun anymore (like listening to some modern classical music and desperately trying to enjoy it). It loses it's main ingredient, which is innocence.

Anyway, I am happy that after many years and after moving to Canada and the USA I got rid of that "elitist" mentality and I've learned to look at art with the "beginner's eye".

My point is that when I look at Walter's elm tree, I don't want to think that its is an elm tree or that it is classical style and it wants to look like a pine. Those thoughts are part of creation process, but have nothing to do with the end result.

I just look at it and I like it very much.

When sophistication itself becomes the goal, that can also be a dead-end street (I hope that's not the case with Walter. After all, he enjoys pop music).

Kind regards,
Attila