September 4, 2005

youth and talent

zzzkkkadsf04.jpg

This cartoon has always been a favorite of mine. It kind of sums up the thing all non-successful artists fear the most i.e. growing old.

I like the expression on the guy's face- a perfect combination of silence, anger, sadness and self-loathing. Anyone who has spent any serious time in bohemian circles will recognize it.

I still have a few great friends from my younger, bohemian days, but for the most part I tend to avoid that crowd like the plague.

I've seen too often what happens to people who take the romantic-artist-lifestyle crap too seriously. And I never liked what I saw.

Posted by hugh macleod at September 4, 2005 8:29 PM | TrackBack
Comments

Hi Hugh,

a blogger compared my pics & site to yours, so I had to check out. I love the philosophical touch. And I adore the drawings. Living in Germany, yet loving both GB and NY, I will have to read more of your stuff!

cheers
dushan

Posted by: dushan at September 4, 2005 10:05 PM

I remember those people too. Most of them have teaching jobs in art departments of major universities.

They teach eager young college kids how to ruin their marriage and their sweet cushy jobs by being crusty, bitter, old, spoiled has-beens.

Posted by: Michael Barrett at September 4, 2005 10:10 PM

I like your blog Hugh but I have to disagree with you on this. If you are a true artist and not someone just adopting aesthetics of one, you should not be concerned whether you're a success or failure. I have no romantic notions of youth or being some beautiful bohemian type, if I did I would have died a long time ago. A true artist just creates and it's in him/or her to do just that. If you start worrying about how successful you're going to be at it, then you've totally missed the point and it seeps into your work. I could remain unsuccessful and unoticed my whole life, but I'd be happy that I had the ability to create.

Posted by: Chris Ibsen at September 5, 2005 12:04 AM

Can we have the "loser toiling away in obscurity" some time soon? I think I need some of your best bitter humour to help me out of a very dark mood. Thanks.

Posted by: Nia at September 5, 2005 12:32 AM

I certainly can see your point, Chris. And a very appealing point it is.

Which is exactly what makes it so bloody lethal, nine times out of ten.

Posted by: hugh macleod at September 5, 2005 2:38 AM

The face really is freakishly perfect on this one.

Posted by: Beck at September 5, 2005 3:51 AM

RE: Chris/Hugh Comments

And a bloody shame about the nine pretenders for the one living their dream?

Posted by: Thomas at September 5, 2005 8:11 AM

well this one made my day.
I've been around my share of 'un-understood artists' and aside from their personal failure, i think the contents of their mind is highly over-rated. And their life philosophies (usually plain pessimism) - seems to be based on Heineken rather than Heidegger.
(blink-blink :D)

Posted by: Eugen Erhan at September 5, 2005 9:40 AM