Art and Theory

It's pretty windy here in the Windy City.  Probably thanks to Good 'Ole Sandy but it's much more anticlimactic here in the Midwest.  No end-of-the-world-esque rising tides and puddles for me, boohoo.

To fill the void that the lack of extreme weather on my mundane life imposes, I have continued reading like a diligent student...or ant...or whatever other persevering animal there is out there.  Maybe the dung beetle.  That seems diligent.

The point is, I'm currently reading Umberto Eco's Foucault's Pendulum.  It's a pretty large text, as I suppose most of his novels are.  In high school I read The Mysterious Flame of Queen Loana (I won't lie, I was attracted to the graphics because I am superficial and enjoy judging books by their cover and treats that are snuck inside).  I wonder if the person who writes the synopses/book jackets for Eco's books is the same for them all...I feel like they do not accurately depict Eco's language.  From these two experiences, I have to say the plot, though technically accurately described, seemed much more exciting and action-packed than in reality.  I was all pumped up to read this book, imagining a cultured/intellectual version of the Da Vinci Code but it seems to have one-upped me and surpassed my level of worldly knowledge.  The jacket writer is a marketing genius, I tell you.

There is a lack of fluidity in both of these books for me that I can't actually pinpoint.  The language isn't inaccurate...it's just...stiff because it is so information-heavy (yes, haha, that sentence was incredibly janky, but I am not an award-winning writer so sue me).  I realized it's probably the fault of translations, to which I think he really needs to get better translators, but then I found that's NOT the case, and that Eco writes in English, so now I'm just having to come to terms with the fact that I am just not educated enough.  Who are his fans?  Scholars?  His plots are very intriguing, but it's the way that he delivers that I can't quite keep up with, without any knowledge of the referenced content.  If I were willing to do additional, heavy research while I read along on this already page-heavy block of pages, perhaps I'd be able to grasp it better (but alas I am much too lazy for that).

Eco writes in English but it reads like a foreign language (and often REMAINS in untranslated foreign phrases).  He's playful and smart, but hard to touch.  I have felt detached in both books, but I can't quite put my finger on why.  It's like sitting listening to a philosopher or scientist speak to you without their expecting any sort of response.  It's more an observation than engagement.

Not to say I'm not enjoying it enough, because I am...but I still feel like I'm just a visitor in these conversations about Templars and Rosy Crosses.  I'm currently a little over 1/3 through, so we'll see how I feel at the end.

On the other hand, a book I'm NOT feeling left behind in, is The 2-Hour Job Search: Using Technology to Get the Right Job by Steve Dalton.  This, unlike Eco's, is a very straightforward book.  I actually find it quite engaging, unlike most books like this.  That either means I'm sinking down to self-help level, or I'm just that obsessed with job hunting.  I think it's both.  It's basically an addiction now.  Anyway, read this, if you're interested!  It's fun!  And you get to pretend that you're on The Bachelor!






And to end this lengthy post...

More art!  Teehee.  Charcoal and acrylic, folks.  I sprayed them with hairspray (ghetto) to keep the charcoal down and it basically blasted bits of charcoal dust everywhere because I am unprofessional and dumb.  But, what can you do, I still like them (you can see another painting in the back though, that is not so good and in turn saddens me).  I think I'll make more when I get the materials (I only have one more of those canvas panels...but maybe I will buy a bunch and draw myself a legion of dreamed up friends.