Saturday, April 2, 2011

simplicity is decadence

Flowers, Henri Fantin-Latour, 1872, Louvre



Another semester has come to a close. Prior to the start of their final exam several of my keener students peppered me with questions, while drinking their coffees through their straws (a flattering hommage à moi). These questions focused not on art or the coming test but on me, my life, my story.


This is a timely reminder for me of the importance of simplicity. The things I see and do, the places I live and work all seem unimportant when life is examined from the perspective of a moment. A beautiful blossom, a sharp intake of breath, the crash of the sea, eyes meeting... what happened right before it seems superfluous and what may happen next, irrelevant. Obviously, one cannot exist from this vantage point (demonstrated aptly by Huysmans in À Rebours) but it must be adopted on occasion, my personal dosage is daily. In this way, simplicity is decadence.

1 comment:

  1. Anonymous2/4/11 15:41

    that sounds very complimentary - especially the straw part which made me laugh pretty hard!

    also, i don't think we use the synonym of "pepper" enough - well done there!!

    now...why is your blog so darrrrk?

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