Comments on: The Art of Social Conciousness? I believe not. http://www.mjstrauss.com/2008/08/08/the-art-of-social-conciousness-i-believe-not/ Just another WordPress weblog Thu, 24 Nov 2011 16:43:34 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.3 By: Ian Thal http://www.mjstrauss.com/2008/08/08/the-art-of-social-conciousness-i-believe-not/comment-page-1/#comment-437 Ian Thal Tue, 12 Aug 2008 18:12:13 +0000 http://www.mjstrauss.com/2008/08/08/the-art-of-social-conciousness-i-believe-not/#comment-437 Peter was long one of my artistic influences from the time I spent performing with him, but I lost my respect for him as a human being over precisely this issue. His obsession with misrepresenting the Israeli-Palestinian conflict seems to have a lot to do with his childhood under the Reich and his refusal to deal with what did happen in Silesia where he was born and raised. Sadly he is avoiding the history that other German artists of his generation (Gunter Grass, Heiner Müller, for instance) chose to confront in their work. Someone who is promoting what is essentially right-wing revisionist history of World War II (which I also discuss <a href="http://gregcookland.com/journal/2008/02/ian-thal-on-peter-schumann.html" rel="nofollow">here</a> and <a href="http://ianthal.blogspot.com/2008/02/notes-on-nejar-interview-with-peter.html" rel="nofollow">here</a>) shouldn't be such an icon of the American peace movement. I'll definitely be following the story as it develops. Thanks. Peter was long one of my artistic influences from the time I spent performing with him, but I lost my respect for him as a human being over precisely this issue. His obsession with misrepresenting the Israeli-Palestinian conflict seems to have a lot to do with his childhood under the Reich and his refusal to deal with what did happen in Silesia where he was born and raised.

Sadly he is avoiding the history that other German artists of his generation (Gunter Grass, Heiner Müller, for instance) chose to confront in their work. Someone who is promoting what is essentially right-wing revisionist history of World War II (which I also discuss here and here) shouldn’t be such an icon of the American peace movement.

I’ll definitely be following the story as it develops. Thanks.

]]> By: Mike http://www.mjstrauss.com/2008/08/08/the-art-of-social-conciousness-i-believe-not/comment-page-1/#comment-431 Mike Sun, 10 Aug 2008 21:30:07 +0000 http://www.mjstrauss.com/2008/08/08/the-art-of-social-conciousness-i-believe-not/#comment-431 Ian, Thanks for your comment. I have looked at what you have written, and you clearly have more in depth writing and clarity on this subject than I do in my very short post. I'll direct anyone who writes to me, if any do, to your previous posts on the subject, and in fact may put links to these in further posts I may make. Sadly, VJP is hosting another fairly extensive program of art and political speakers at this year's Art Hop in September. Peter has a new exhibit which I am told will be about "Walls" generally (Berlin Wall, Great Wall of China, Jerusalem Wall (his name for the security barrier I believe). Mike Ian,
Thanks for your comment. I have looked at what you have written, and you clearly have more in depth writing and clarity on this subject than I do in my very short post. I’ll direct anyone who writes to me, if any do, to your previous posts on the subject, and in fact may put links to these in further posts I may make.
Sadly, VJP is hosting another fairly extensive program of art and political speakers at this year’s Art Hop in September. Peter has a new exhibit which I am told will be about “Walls” generally (Berlin Wall, Great Wall of China, Jerusalem Wall (his name for the security barrier I believe).

Mike

]]> By: Ian Thal http://www.mjstrauss.com/2008/08/08/the-art-of-social-conciousness-i-believe-not/comment-page-1/#comment-429 Ian Thal Sun, 10 Aug 2008 21:01:27 +0000 http://www.mjstrauss.com/2008/08/08/the-art-of-social-conciousness-i-believe-not/#comment-429 Dear Michael, I wrote a great deal about the controversy over last year's Peter Schumann exhibit on my own blog, which had followed my own decision to <a href="http://ianthal.blogspot.com/2007/04/breaking-with-bread-and-puppet.html" rel="nofollow">dissociate myself from both Schumann and Bread and Puppet</a> for precisely the reasons you cited. In fact, I discussed VTJP's website in depth <a href="http://ianthal.blogspot.com/2007/09/independence-paintings-in-burlington_08.html" rel="nofollow">here</a>. Most importantly, you are absolutely right, this is art that lies; a point I made <a href="http://ianthal.blogspot.com/2007/09/independence-paintings-in-burlington_11.html" rel="nofollow">here</a>. Dear Michael,

I wrote a great deal about the controversy over last year’s Peter Schumann exhibit on my own blog, which had followed my own decision to dissociate myself from both Schumann and Bread and Puppet for precisely the reasons you cited.

In fact, I discussed VTJP’s website in depth here.

Most importantly, you are absolutely right, this is art that lies; a point I made here.

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