My pas de deux
with Art History as an academic subject, has somehow, drawn to a close.
I do not know when the next opportunity will arrive again. Maybe it never will. Maybe I will feel all warm, fuzzy and nostalgic in years to come.
Right now it is enough of academic rigour and an intense consultation of anything with lots of words. The background has been very useful no doubt. But I never believed art was intended to be of reproduced illustrations in thick tomes, living a cloistered life away from the public.
You think only wealthy elites, trained professionals, professed connoisseurs can access art of any kind? I believe that is a lie society has cultivated to maintain some elusive status quo.
Having said that I have at many times thoroughly enjoyed studying about art, all ironies included.
Talking about ironies... today I received the results of my last batch of subjects for my degree. Years back, after a semester's worth of Art History B under the inspired direction of Dr. Anthony White, I was super keen on signing up for his Modernist Avant-Gardes. However as it was offered only once every two years, I had to wait till my last semester before I could take it up.
In between I shuffled from subject to subject awaiting the jewel at the end. When the time finally came, I gave up other sociology (my other major) subjects which timetables clashed with Avant-Gardes' in order that I could keep the latter.
Mid-way into the course I realised it was nothing like what I expected. This is not the fault of the lecturer/tutor and my tute mates. Rather it was my change of heart. I no longer harboured any desire to reading more about politics, sexual politics, war, abstraction and the -modernisms.
I thought nothing would change. Apparently I was the one who did.
When the results came out, it turned out that I scored the lowest for this subject in my entire Art History major. While it failed to drag my average below the H2A border, all my other H1s were probably trying their hardest to sustain their buoyancy in light of this deviant's lacklustre performance.
Father, I think I am ready to put aside academics for now. New phase, new purpose?
I do not know when the next opportunity will arrive again. Maybe it never will. Maybe I will feel all warm, fuzzy and nostalgic in years to come.
Right now it is enough of academic rigour and an intense consultation of anything with lots of words. The background has been very useful no doubt. But I never believed art was intended to be of reproduced illustrations in thick tomes, living a cloistered life away from the public.
You think only wealthy elites, trained professionals, professed connoisseurs can access art of any kind? I believe that is a lie society has cultivated to maintain some elusive status quo.
Having said that I have at many times thoroughly enjoyed studying about art, all ironies included.
Talking about ironies... today I received the results of my last batch of subjects for my degree. Years back, after a semester's worth of Art History B under the inspired direction of Dr. Anthony White, I was super keen on signing up for his Modernist Avant-Gardes. However as it was offered only once every two years, I had to wait till my last semester before I could take it up.
In between I shuffled from subject to subject awaiting the jewel at the end. When the time finally came, I gave up other sociology (my other major) subjects which timetables clashed with Avant-Gardes' in order that I could keep the latter.
Mid-way into the course I realised it was nothing like what I expected. This is not the fault of the lecturer/tutor and my tute mates. Rather it was my change of heart. I no longer harboured any desire to reading more about politics, sexual politics, war, abstraction and the -modernisms.
I thought nothing would change. Apparently I was the one who did.
When the results came out, it turned out that I scored the lowest for this subject in my entire Art History major. While it failed to drag my average below the H2A border, all my other H1s were probably trying their hardest to sustain their buoyancy in light of this deviant's lacklustre performance.
Father, I think I am ready to put aside academics for now. New phase, new purpose?
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