MIDDLEBROW ADVOCACY

posted by James Reel

Greg Sandow expresses my sentiments exactly:

There's a tendency, in arts advocacy, to go all middlebrow, to talk about the arts in rapturous terms, as a part of life that's inspiring and elevating. Whereas art is so much more complex than that. Some of it isn't pleasant. Some of it isn't inspiring. Some of it paints the world in dire colors. Some of it is confrontational. Some of it is difficult.

And if the arts were so uplifting, nobody who loves the arts would be a jerk.

You’ll find the entire post here.