When I was younger, I wanted to engage with what I considered Important, especially when it came to important works of art. I thought such engagement would help me become a better person, among other things.
I still think it is good to engage in the Important, be that the visual arts or literature or even fine dining. But I think it is good to engage in the flip side of that. For some the flip side could be disposable fiction or trashy TV or fast food. Not everything you engage with has to be life changing.
I thought of that again when I was going over this piece, In Praise of Comfort Films – kottke.org and looking at the art work on display here: Monument to the Unimportant | Pace Gallery – www.pacegallery.com. It’s interesting that for comfort films, they cite The Big Lebowski, Perfect Days, Mon Oncle, Kiki’s Delivery Service and more. They may bring comfort, but they are also fine if not great films. Likewise for the artwork at the Pace Gallery: the subject matter may be ordinary but the works themselves are not. And that’s the thing: work that is comforting or everyday may be just as great as work that is difficult or extraordinary.
Perhaps that’s the thought to take away from this: the common and comforting are also important, if not Important, and they can be great in their own way. Just like all of us are great in our own way, no matter how important or unimportant we may seem to some.
Smart People I Know 