Å@

Perl, Jed. "Seeing and Time" The New Republic. August 3, 1998. pp. 31 - 37

"Seeing and Time" is an extended analysis of the statement that "nobody knows how to look anymore." Perl points out that the new trend in viewing art is to give the work as brief a visual inspection as possible. This up-to-data technique requires that the viewer does not look long or hard. The work should jump out at the viewer in the first few seconds. It should create a "bang" in the viewer's mind. Only after this initial bang can thorough analysis occur. There is no bibliography in this work; however, several people are cited, such as: Hickey, Greenberg, Fried, Chardin, and Bryson. The purpose of the work is to explain this new approach to viewing art and relate rapid observation to changes not only in art but to society in general. This work is intended for artists, art critics, and students of art. Anyone that does not fit into these three categories will have a great deal of trouble trying to decipher what is being said through the technical jargon.

While it is a very interesting article there are several negative aspects. The writer is too personally attached to the information being provided. He includes far to many "I's" and "my's." Even worse he refers to the audience as "we," trying to attain some sense of the greater artistic community. Yet, this leads to the feelings of isolation and bewilderment among non-artistic readers. The layperson has little if any idea of who the formalists, Neo-Dadaists, or poststructuralists are. However, they are referred to as common knowledge, what the greater "we" should automatically know.