Are Artists Inextricable From Their Art

Not a lot going on today, yet more documentation writing at work. You can even tell from my output that I’m sick of it. There are definite diminishing returns.

One thing that has saved it from being truly insufferable is recording my screen to short gifs. A godsend.

Cards in the evening

I didn’t mess on with my computer much today. Tried to add a colour scheme to vim and failed miserably, then decided not to get sucked in, and spent the evening with Mrs Basil playing cards. She’d insist that I note she won 2 games to my 1.

Can you remove feelings about an artist from your feeling about their art?

Mrs Basil has been struggling for a few days with the new found knowledge that a musician she adored and idolised since she was a teenager, turned out to be an All Lives Matter type. This has caused her great distress and soul searching.

It’s an age old problem. Can you every really separate the artist from the art? Hannah Gatsby hits on this in her brutal stand-up set Nanette.

I find it’s pretty hard to compartmentalise your feelings about really anything. So I like to know as little as possible about the artists who’s art I enjoy. I have a handful of paintings at home, and know nothing about the folk that made them. Of the handful of bands that I consider my all time favourites, I’m not sure I could tell you the member’s names. I know very little about most actors and film-makers.

This avoidance is more and more difficult to carry off these days, and I’m sure it takes something away from the experience. At the very least, I think it’s fair to say that you shouldn’t idolise people unless you have to. Especially people you don’t know.

Wet weekend

Anyway, I’m sleepy and need to rest. Tomorrow I need to get started on my ark since it’s going to be raining all weekend for what feels like the 37th and 38th day in a row.