Roseanne Hertzberger is tired of the normative notions that should justify the place of a work of art (3/6). I’ve worked in the visual arts for fifty years, and I too am horrified by the constant invocation of words like “question,” “exploration,” “investigation,” and “critique.” But Hertzberger gets rid of it very easily in this case. Its position in scholarly circles should be called a charitable luxury in comparison with the eternally uncertain fate of artists. No sane person today will doubt the value of science, every millimeter of art must be explained to people who will not listen. And yes, then you fall into repetition, no matter how crazy that sounds. Is this big statue at Rotterdam station so bad? No, on the contrary. I think it’s a great image to look up to for many reasons. It is a pity again that art must be categorically explained. Referring to a black woman is fashionable, unnecessary, and in fact incorrect: the image represents a human being. It made me think of this delicate sign in the tough city of Rotterdam.
The Hague
A version of this article also appeared in the June 6, 2023 issue.
