To go in another direction, I guess what annoys me about a lot of the art you hear about in the media the kinds that create outrage, "piss Christ" and some of the latest is that it seems to me, to be lazy art. These works seem to go to the easy emotional reactions, outrage, shock, disgust and so on. These are fairly simple reactions to get. What about works of art that reach the harder emotions, sorrow, joy, courage. Artists that can tap these reactions are the real artists. The works that when you think about them trigger these emotions, years after you read them or see them.
There is one book that does this for me, really one or three scenes from the book. Dean Koontz wrote a novel called "Watchers." It is a horror novel about two genetically altered creatures. Both have human intelligence and emotions, and are raised together in a lab. The one animal is a golden retriever, the other an african baboon. Koontz creates in these two creatures a great sense of sadness when you read about the two of them. they are created for two different types of purposes, and evoke different emotions from the people who interact with them. Yeah, its a horror novel. Yeah, its Dean Koontz. I have to say, though that these scenes he creates are pretty powerful, and I think about them every once in a while. I have read Shakesspeare, and the usual great authors, but this seemed more real. Has anyone else read watchers? Isn't that what art should do? What about you guys out there?
There is one book that does this for me, really one or three scenes from the book. Dean Koontz wrote a novel called "Watchers." It is a horror novel about two genetically altered creatures. Both have human intelligence and emotions, and are raised together in a lab. The one animal is a golden retriever, the other an african baboon. Koontz creates in these two creatures a great sense of sadness when you read about the two of them. they are created for two different types of purposes, and evoke different emotions from the people who interact with them. Yeah, its a horror novel. Yeah, its Dean Koontz. I have to say, though that these scenes he creates are pretty powerful, and I think about them every once in a while. I have read Shakesspeare, and the usual great authors, but this seemed more real. Has anyone else read watchers? Isn't that what art should do? What about you guys out there?
