Justin, Habermas

I was sick while reading each of these essays, so very little hit home. But luckily there was a passage in Habermas that at least struck meas honest and sensible. It is under the Alternatives heading, when he says that rather than giving up modernity, there is a way to receive art that at least "indicates the direction of a way out." He discusses the Bourgeois expectation of art, which was to educate yourself enough to become an expert on it, but also to receive it and apply its aesthetic to your own life and problems. It seems that a central idea of these essays is the inability to stray away from modernity without becoming too eclectic or extravagant, and therefore insignificant. The classical values and aesthetics that last are the ones that people can relate to, but also that seem smart and "well made." This goes back to his point that the things that are classic now were once authentically modern.
I thought it was interesting to read someone else's blog that talked about selling out as an issue for artists today. The idea alone of selling out seems so new and strange. Perhaps it stems from another period that seeks the unique, another revolt from modernity. However, unlike in the past, this era allows an accessibility to the artist which makes the audience connected personally to them. Not only do we respect an aritst for their work, but we approve of the way they live their life. When they change, as anyone does, their art changes too. Often times the audience relates that change to what they know about the artist- how much money they make for example. Work doesn't stand alone anymore. But the work that becomes classic doesn't come from being unique, it comes from being uniquely well done. Fashions allow work at times to be appreciated for a while, but eventually they are forgotten. I guess all that sat with me after reading these texts was the inability to completely leave classic values and ideas that we are able to relate to our life, and how it isn't necessarily something that we should fight. Rather, we should appreciate that it's what connects us.