Last class our focus on the "Beat Generation" and war's influence on art, music and literature was incredibly captivating. Seeing the chaos and crisis reflected in abstract expressionists' work like Polluck, Bacon, Dekooning and Rauschenberg moved me but even more so, hearing the spoken word of poets like Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg and twisted yet genius, William Burroughs, entranced me.
Visuals and Audio have the universal power to reach into some one's soul, twist their heart, engage their mind and set them off on a trance into the unknown, exploring thoughts they never touched upon before, or sometimes, even more powerfully, putting words or visions to thoughts that have gone hidden and unsaid.
At a point in my life where I'm more aware of the rest of the world than I ever was, and consciously aware of my evolving self, my curiosity to discover more is rampant. As someone who has always felt a pull towards the creative arts, it's a passion of mine to analyze and dig deep. I could spend hours in a museum studying paintings, sketching them, looking for deeper meaning..which is exactly what abstract art supplies.
The pain reflected in this generation, although heavy and unsettling, is beautifully captured. Kerouac especially, clearly out of his mind and in another world, a bottle or two in, is ingenious. His talent is undeniable and his broken words and shambled persona further intensify the message he alludes. This is the collapse of the American dream. Exhausted, burnt out, abused..for some reason, the line "children crying in a land where they let the children cry" really jumped out, perhaps for the sole reason of his purposeful mention of children; the helpless, being left without aid.
Ginsberg was another absolute genius, words flowing from his mouth with such ease and directness, poignant, honest, captivating this upheaval of separation between society and artist and in place of the torn down walls, charging movements to make the private world public, exposing our naked selves.
I feel like I'm in a time of my life where I'm unsure of a lot. The world is radically changing, responsibility of adulthood is knocking right at my door and I as muster the stamina that's under attack by a battle to regain health against a chronic disease that I don't want to define me, the days pass by all too quickly and I'm left gasping for whatever time I have left. I don't know what my future holds and that can be all too stressful for a perfectionist set on nothing but success with the ultimate goal of securing happiness as well. Basically, my mind is constant clusterfuck and although I believe everything in life is what you make of it, I do enjoy reveling in a moment of time where I don't have to be positive and can relate to the disheartened works of this beautifully tortured "beat generation". It's scary to even say it out loud, to expose myself fully, give attention to my fears and weaknesses- but I'm human. We all are and it's this focus on unveiling oneself that unifies us all, reminding us we're not alone. The closest modern day example I can think of to relate to the Beat Generation's efforts is the book, turned movie, "Perks of Being a Wallflower". One of my absolute favorites that exposes the characters fully with intricate writing and development, making it a classic that everyone can't help but relate to, relish in and adore.
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