Throwback Thursday: Sometimes Even When You Don't Understand a Dylan Song You Can "Get It"

“I don't like the idea of 'understanding' a film. I don't believe that rational understanding is an essential element in the reception of any work of art. Either a film has something to say to you or it hasn't. If you are moved by it, you don't need to have it explained to you. If not, no explanation can make you moved by it.” ~Federico Fellini

There it is. This is what some people mean when they talk about art, whether music, poetry or a painting. It's like a joke; you shouldn't have to explain why the punch line was funny.

To this day I don't "get" Dylan's "Changing of the Guard," but it moves me every time I hear it, and remains one of my favorite Dylan songs. What's it all about, Alfie? The images connect with something inside like a series of dreams, rising up from a subconscious sea teeming with shimmering mysteries.

In his book The Dylanologists David Kinney devotes one chapter to the Lyrics Dissecters. These are the ones Fellini is calling out above. It's like Dylan's lyrics are a secret code to be cracked, if only we had an Enigma Machine.

People have the same problem with abstract art. "I don't get it" has been exclaimed in art museums and galleries all over the world.

"Ballad of a Thin Man" is another song that falls into this category, difficult to apprehend but one that definitely haunts. The opening bars on the piano send a chill through the room and the confounding imagery shocks and frightens. Something's happening, even if you don't know what it is. "You try so hard, but you don't understand," Dylan hisses.

The words and images can confuse, but when ignited there can be light, revealing the outlines of shapes and scenes that darkness conceals.

* * * *

For what it's worth, Duluth Dylan Fest is just around the corner. May will be here faster than you know it. The events are slated for May 17-24 this year. If you want to celebrate with us here in Dylan's home town, mark your calendars. There will be a birthday celebration on his 85th, May 24, in front of the house he grew up in. And there will be plenty of music... some of it you'll "get" with your head and some with your heart.

Meantime life goes on all around you. Be a part of it. 

Duluth Art Beat: AJ Atwater's One Day Fine Art Estate Sale Is April 12

Abstraction 30 -- 36"x 48"

IN TEN DAYS Duluth artist AJ Atwater will debut 130 New York City and Lake Superior original abstract acrylic paintings at the AJ Atwater Fine Art Estate Sale Saturday, April 12 from 11AM-4PM. AJ Atwater Art will be on display in six galleries at 4701 Cooke Street, Duluth. Atwater calls it "the cream of the cream" of her painting collection.

Here are a few of the pieces that will be on display. You can check out my interview with the artist here at the Duluth Reader website: AJ Atwater’s big canvas blowout: Duluth Meets Manhattan.

Fog -- 16"x 20"

Still Life with Oval -- 16"x 20"

Yellow Series 2 -- 24"x 30"

Red Series 6 -- 10"x 10"

Palisade Head -- 24"x 30"

The Artist: AJ Atwater

The more you engage, the more you see.

Sunshine and large windows make colors brght.

 

 “Lake Superior is my Manhattan” ~ AJ Atwater

Related Links

AJ Atwater and PROJECT 30/30 

Virtual Reality Meets Virtual Gallery: AJ Atwater's 400 Paintings

Sneak Preview: Kuth and Atwater's Affordable Fine Art Show

Observations on Music from an Uncommon Man

While organizing books near the top shelf in my office this weekend I discovered that I had a copy of Aaron Copland's Music and Imagination. Those familiar with the myriad books about Bob Dylan will recall that Sean Wilenz's Bob Dylan In America opens with a whole chapter devoted to this composer who has been referred to as the "Dean of American Music." 

As I read the opening chapter of Copland's book I was impressed with how much his ideas resonated with me. We don't listen to music to pass tests or properly understand musical notation. We listen to enjoy. Music lifts us, comforts us, releases us, takes us places and sweeps us away in the swirl of our imaginations. 

Here is the opening page of Copland's rich little volume.

THE MORE I LIVE the life of music the more I am convinced that it is the freely imaginative mind that is at the core of all vital music making and music listening. When Coleridge put down his famous phrase, "the sense of musical delight, with the power of producing it, is a gift of the imagination," he was referring, of course, to the musical delights of poetry. But it seems to me even more true when applied to the musical delights of music. 

An imaginative mind is essential to the creation of art in any medium, but it is even more essential in music precisely because music provides the broadest possible vista for the imagination since it is the freest, the most abstract, the least fettered of all the arts: no story content, no pictorial representation, no regularity of meter, no strict limitation of frame need hamper the intuitive functioning of the imaginative mind. 

In saying this I am not forgetting that it has its disciplines: its strict forms and regular rhythms, and even in some cases its programmatic content. Music as mathematics, music as architecture or as image, music in any static, seizable form has always held fascination for the lay mind. But as a musician, what fascinates me is the thought that by its very nature music invites imaginative treatment, and that the facts of music, so called, are only meaningful insofar as the imagination is given free play. It is for this reason that I wish to consider especially those facets of music that are open to the creative influences of the imagination.

* * * 

Four Aaron Copland quotes

So long as the human spirit thrives on this planet, music in some living form will accompany and sustain it.
--Aaron Copland, Music as an Aspect of the Human Spirit (1954).

The composer who is frightened of losing his artistic integrity through contact with a mass audience is no longer aware of the meaning of the word art.

--Aaron Copland

If you want to know about the Sixties, play the music of The Beatles.

—Aaron Copland

For me, the most important thing is the element of chance that is built into a live performance. The very great drawback of recorded sound is the fact that it is always the same. No matter how wonderful a recording is, I know that I couldn't live with it--even of my own music--with the same nuances forever.

--Aaron Copland, Classic Essays on Twentieth-Century Music

This latter quote brings to mind Bob Dylan's approach to performance art.

 

Almost Wordless Wednesday: First Visit to Lizzard's Gallery in 2022

Lizzard's Art Gallery & Framing is one of many galleries in Duluth featuring regional artists. The gallery is located at 11 West Superior Street in the heart of downtown. Here are just a few of the pieces that caught my eye when I checked in last week.

"Grasping Light" -- Matt Klooster, Acrylic on Canvas, 24 x 36

"Her Wild Life is Coming Back I"--Sarah Brokke, Oil on Canvas 20 x 30

"Fifth Avenue West"--Scott Murphy; Print on Canvas

"Walk Across the Lake, look"--Adam Swanson; Acrylic on Board, 14 x 18

"The Aquarium"--Scott Murphy, Oil on Canvas, 48 x 24

"Antler Swing"--Naomi Christianson, Acrylic on Canvas, 16 x 20

A nice piece by the late Terry Millikan

Due to reflections this is a poor photo of Danielle Thralow's very cool 
photo of a lightning strike on Lake Superior. She has been doing a series
of striking images from her porch on the West Central Hillside.

 

Despite two years of Covid, Northland artists have been active. The art scene is still alive and well here in Duluth. Thursday evening there will be an artists reception in the Zeitgeist Atrium featuring work by the Lake Superior Abstract Group.

5:00 p.m. @ 222 East Superior Street. Join us! (Masks required.)

Lake Superior Abstract Interest Group Art Exhibit at the Zeitgeist Atrium

"Summer Along the River" -- Acrylic. Virginia Alexander.

In case you haven't heard, the Zeitgeist has opened up again. The restaurant/cafe is open for dinner several days a week, and there's a new art exhibit in the Atrium. The art show features work by the Lake Superior Abstract Interest Group and its theme is Art Exhibit “C*A*R*E”.  16 artists have work on display. A unique feature of the exhibition is that a portion of all sales proceeds will be given to charity. An opening reception is currently scheduled for January 20, 2022.

Here are some of the paintings you'll see if you are able to visit.

"Crazy for Patsy" -- Acrylic. Margie Helstrom.

"The Beat Goes On" -- Watercolor/Mixed Media. Mary Azmitia.

"Stardust" -- Acrylic. Wood, Fabric. Kris Nelson

"Living the Life" -- Acrylic, Mixed Media. Sue Rauschenfels

"Flora Friends" -- Watercolor/Mixed Media.Avita Gille. NFS

"Autumn Mysteries"--Watercolor. Edna Stromquist.

"What Do You Say to a Man with. Two Black Eyes"-- Mixed Media. Ed Newman

"November" -- Watercolor on Giclee. Kay Bloom. NFS

"Gathering" -- Watercolor/Acrylic. Linda Gerga.

"2020" -- Acrylic/Mixed Media. Rosemary Guttormsson.

The photos don't do justice to some of the artwork. 

Unless otherwise noted, all work displayed here is for sale. If you are from outside the area and see something you would like to own, send me an email I will put you in touch with the artist. ennyman3 >at< gmail.com 

"Diversified Rainbows Dancing in the Moonlight"--Canned Latex Enamels. 
Doris Sampson

"Oh, That's Chlorophyll For You"-- Acrylic. Molly Ovenden.

"Compasionata of the A.S.P.C.A."--Acrylic. Claudia Faith.

"Anchored"-- Acrylic. Cynthia Matthews.

Local Art Seen: COVID-19 Doesn't Stop Painters from Sharing Their Work

Covid-inspired collage by Linda Glisson

No question about it, the pandemic and lockdown has had consequences few of us could foresee at the outset. I miss the smiles at checkout lines at the grocery store, though we've learned to recognize friendly twinkles in peoples' eyes. I also miss the art openings, seeing friends in our arts community, catching up on what's happening.

Nevertheless, just as the business world has made adjustments, conducting meetings via Zoom and other means, so have artists found ways to get their art fix. (See: Virtual Gallery Hop Like No Other)

This past couple months I had been invited to attend an online meeting of the Lake Superior Abstract Artists group, which never seemed to work out. Nevertheless, two weeks ago I logged in for part of DAI director Christina Woods' presentation of what is happening at the Duluth Art Institute, and yesterday was able to participate in the group's regularly monthly meeting.

Acrylic and collage, Linda Glisson.

I can see why they have been doing this. Artists enjoy sharing their work. They also get inspired by seeing what other artists are doing.

Those in attendance yesterday included Sue Rauschenfels, Cindy Mattthews Rosa, Claudia Faith, Rosemary Guttormsson, Edna Stromquist, Sarah Archibald, Joan Hunn, Christie Eliason, Marge Stocker and Linda Glisson. Even though it is an abstract artists group, many participants do other kinds of work, in water color, acrylic, collage and even natural dyes.

One of the features that Zoom users enjoy is the "screen share" capability it offers. In this manner presenters giving speeches or artists sharing their work can fill the screen with slides or images. Linda Glisson's current series of Covid-inspired paintings were the first shared with the group. In some ways Glisson is a kindred spirit who is not locked into a specific mode of expression but is continuously exploring different styles. You could feel something in the work that corresponds with the times.

Glisson's blues.

In addition to sharing several completed pieces, she also shared several blues-themed pieces that were "works in progress." A nice feature of this group is that everyone is encouraged to share, but critical assessments are offered only if the presenter asks. Because critiques have value, the group is available for that as well.

Virginia Alexander was next, first sharing a color wheel and then some explorations around the theme of the Beginning of Time.

As pieces are shared the others ask questions so they can learn more about how the work is created, what inspired it. There was a discussion about Rune Songs, and drawing inspiration from one's roots. There were discussions about the various kinds of paper selected and where to find it.

Another presenter shared work that she's been doing through a Zoom class with an instructor in England. Think about it. People can take classes with teachers from almost anywhere in the world. One of the exercises involved taping off six boxes, then selecting three colors plus black and white. The exercise was to paint for ten minutes in each box with your selected colors. It is an hour long exercise. Remove the tape and voila!

This reminded me of one of my own exercises from eight or ten years ago in which I would do a painting on paper only for the duration of a song. Naturally I preferred longer songs and selected songs like Desolation Row and Voodoo Child over 3-minute pop Sixties hits.

I've noticed many local artists began placing their art on Instagram when it launched, a platform for easy sharing. What I enjoyed about this kind of meeting is the feedback loop it provides.

Here are a few more pieces from Friday's gathering.

Yes, they will bear with you if you are not painting abstracts.

Rosemarie G's Dawning: The Beginning of Earth

Got a creative urge? Let it flow.

Local Art Seen: Rooted Expression -- Elizabeth Kuth at the DAI

Duluth Art Institute

Morrison Gallery

February 16 -- April 9, 2017

From the Artist Statement

This body of work emerged during a fourteen year period of studio work "aimed at developing a language expressing Feeling with Significant Form. These paintings are a portrait on my life experience of love and loss, birth and death. Within my Abstract Expressionist style you are called to look and feel in the forms a depth of meaning in your own life experience."

A little further on Kuth describes her move to the country as a way of life inspired by reflection and her personal search for meaning. Her mornings began with a ritual of spontaneous drawing, tapping into the heart of her humanness.  

Her work has been evolving, tied in part to her environment and driven by the deeper questions that make up our eternal quest: Who Am I? and What Am I Saying? Influences include her German heritage, Carl Jung, experiences of loss, ancestry and an ocean of memories. 

"My focus grew," she writes, "as my ability to simplify form and shape meaning in the Abstract Formal Elements. The simplifying of space tied to the nature of my living space connected me with the word primitivism. Dubuffet and Miro were influential along with children art. They had an effect on my looser approach to painting, how I would scumble the paint and build it with transparent layers, leaving edges that created line and movement, rough-simplified forms associated with modernism."

What's interesting in the work is how it comes from such deep personal spaces within the artist, yet speaks in universal forms capable of connecting with us all.  

The energy here is something akin to a portrait of her personal life, shared with the hope that others will be touched and even feel connected to it. 

She notes that we live in a period of history where more than ever we need to stay in touch with our Selves and our humanity. Kuth's body of work is the fruit of one person's search. 

Be sure to make time to see this exhibit. Go! For best results I would encourage a slow engagement. 

EdNote: Apologies for any distortion of colors in these reproductions.