Hegelian Syntheses

 Though I am perhaps overanalyzing the current situation, I can’t help but think that Hegelian structures characterize the auction for Charlie’s painting that will be held this Friday. 

According to Hegel, the world trundles along as a result of two opposing forces, a thesis and an antithesis, which yield to a third structure, a synthesis.  The synthesis, Hegel claimed, resolves the inner conflict of the thesis and antithesis and in so doing exists on a higher more advanced plane than them.

With respect to the forthcoming auction, there is on the one hand a thesis: aesthetic value.  What an incredibly rarefied thing.  It really is hard to say what it is, so hard in fact that many philosophers have even denied its existence.  

Nonetheless, despite aesthetic value’s elusive nature, one thing is certain -- art in all its forms has the ability to move people to profound almost mystical states of reverie.  Beethoven’s 9^th, Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Van Gogh’s Starry Night: Who can fail to be moved by the profundity they contain?  

Then there is the antithesis: homelessness.  It is not rarefied; it does not move people to states of reverie; and it certainly is not among humanity’s greatest achievements.  Indeed, quite the opposite.  Homelessness is not only utterly concrete, but it represents one of the great failings of contemporary society, a failing that should move people not to states of reverie but to states of anger at the causes of it and to a firm resolve to eliminate it.

Art and homelessness: what a peculiar and fascinating combination of opposing forces.  I must admit that when I started this project, the significance of such a combination never occurred to me. But now, through a series of seemingly random accidents, I have been introduced to an organization that is devoted to synthesizing those two forces: ArtWorks945. 

ArtWorks945 is an art gallery for the homeless: a place where people who have been marginalized by the cold machinations of the American economic system can go to express themselves through paint.  What a brilliant organization.  What a brilliant synthesis of a thesis and an antithesis.

But that is not all. 

In addition to ArtWorks945, there is another Hegelian synthesis to be had.

As those who have been following this blog know, I was introduced to ArtWorks945 as a result of coming into possession of one of the most intriguing pieces of art in the world – Charlie Spear’s Falling Down Man: a representation of a homeless person that was accidentally damaged and thereby improved by the United States Postal Service. 

Charlie’s painting now contains a thesis and an antithesis.  The thesis: a beautiful, moving and inspired painting.  The antithesis: accidental damage.

I have repeatedly made the claim that this particular thesis and antithesis have been synthesized into a painting that is quite literally one of a kind:  Charlie’s painting is one of the purest instances in the world of the category – painting that is accidentally damaged but thereby improved.

Of course, it is one thing for me to make such a claim and quite another for the market to respond to it.  

So what is Falling Down Man’s economic value?  How will the market respond to the synthesis of aesthetic value and damage?

I don’t know.  But I can’t wait to find out. 

The auction is this Friday at the Summit Coffee Shop, from 8 - 10.  

Somehow, I think the Universe will be there.  I hope others are too.

Another Auction!

The cumulative auction has so far raised $582.21.  It’s not the $10,000 that I asked the Universe for.  But it’s more than had been bid two weeks ago.  So I am happy about that.

I want to thank everyone who has so far bid on Charlie’s painting.  Not only have your contributions made this project both more interesting and worthwhile, but they will also end up going to a very worthy and important organization.

So I am happy and thankful, which is I suppose an appropriate state of mind for the Monday after Thanksgiving.  But even better still, I am excited. 

Why? 

Because Tyler Helfrich, director of ArtWorks945, is organizing a live auction for Charlie’s painting. 

When I told Charlie about a month ago that the bid on his painting had reached $400, he sent me a very thought provoking message.  He suggested that I could turn the money already bid into both more money for ArtWorks945 and greater awareness of homelessness by making prints of Falling Down Man and selling them.  Charlie volunteered to sign the first 100 prints.

I showed Charlie’s message to Tyler; and we talked about ways to continue raising money with his painting.  She liked his idea and thought that a first step toward it might be a live auction at which we sell both his painting and other paintings produced at ArtWorks945.  And since Tyler’s brother in law owns Summit Coffee Shop, she suggested that we hold a live auction there

So that’s what is going to happen.  We are going to hold an auction at Summit Coffee Shop on December 9 from 8-10.  This time, the auction will be a real one – whoever bids the most for Falling Down Man will get to keep it.  And as with the auction going on now, all the money will go to ArtWorks945.

Who knows?  Maybe an art collector from the Charlotte area will realize the historical significance of Charlie’s painting and end up biding $10,000 for it.  Now, wouldn’t that be something?

Abandoned

It has been two weeks since anyone has bid on Charlie’s painting.  And I must admit, yesterday I started to feel abandoned by the Universe.  Surely, I thought, Charlie’s painting is worth WAY more than the $400 that people have so far bid.  And ArtWorks945 is such a great organization that people should be lining up to add to the cumulative bid.  What’s going on?  Why can’t I drum up more interest in this project?

As I chopped the vegetables for a chicken casserole I was making last night, such thoughts started to swirl in my head; and as can often happen with negative thought patterns, they built to something of an absurd crescendo: people are selfish; Bernie Madoff is just the tip of the iceberg; Henry VIII chopped of Ann Boleyn’s head just because he was tired of her!  My God, My God – what’s going to happen to humanity?

But as I put the casserole in the oven, my lovely wife came into the kitchen – she must have sensed my dour mood -- and gave me a hug.  Immediately, I felt better.  And then, as if her presence reminded me of something greater, it occurred to me that I haven’t yet asked the Universe for any help. 

Throughout this blog, I have told the Universe what I wanted.  Indeed, this whole project is something of an experiment in its power.  And so far, the Universe has shown itself to be quite a remarkably ally.  So my feelings of abandonment were, I reckoned premature.  At the very least I need to tell the Universe what I want.

So that raised the question: what do I want? 

As I went to bed last night I mulled that question over.  And just before I drifted off to sleep, I thought: the race goes to the swift, the battle to the strong, so why not admit to the Universe that you want a lot?

I realize now that such a thought doesn’t make too much sense.  I was, as said, drifting off to sleep.  Nonetheless, I am going to be honest: I want this auction to raise a lot of money for ArtWorks945.

So, Universe:

I want to raise $10,000 from the auction for Falling Down Man.

I want to raise $10,000 from the auction for Falling Down Man.

I want to raise $10,000 from the auction for Falling Down Man.

There.  I’ve done it.   Now, we’ll see what happens.

Anyone who wants to add to the cumulative bid on Charlie’s painting, go to this website:

https://www.sagepayments.net/sagenonprofit/shopping_cart/forms/donate.asp?M_id=586502948152

When you enter your information, be sure to write in the comments box: For ArtWorks945/The Van Gogh Project.

The auction will run for only one more month.  But who knows, Virginia, maybe wishes really can come true.

$398.21

That is how much Charlie’s painting has brought in so far.

So what does that mean? 

First, it means that I have thrown a conceptual uppercut to the Appraiser’s thesis.   Since I only went to one Mixed Martial Arts class, I don’t reckon I could throw a real upper cut that would do anyone much harm.  But I do think that the Appraiser’s thesis, namely that that the damage to Charlie’s painting has rendered it worthless, has been sufficiently refuted. 

Second, it means that Charlie’s painting now bears two historically significant marks.  Not only is it perhaps the purest example of a painting that has been improved as a result of inadvertent damage but it is also the source of empirical evidence against the worldview that in a previous post I called Appraisery. 

Appraisery is a worldview that emphasizes the importance of money both in human affairs in general and in matters of art in particular.  It is a worldview against which it makes perfect sense to assert that Falling Down Man is worthless as a result of its damage.  Likewise, it is a worldview against which it makes sense to say that homeless people are worth less than others because they have been economically damaged. 

The fact that Charlie’s painting has brought in such a sizeable chunk of money provides, I contend, empirical evidence against Appraisery.  Anyone who has delved into philosophical affairs will know just how difficult it is to gather evidence for or against a worldview.   And I at least know of no other painting that can claim to be the source of such evidence.  So Charlie’s painting, as I have just mentioned, now bears a second quite interesting historically significant mark.

And what is perhaps most pleasing from a conceptual point of view is the fact that the evidence against Appraisery has come from people’s willingness to donate money.  Conceptually speaking, it is as if money has eaten itself.  Indeed, there is such a beautiful irony to the evidence against Appraisery that I can’t help but once again feel the hand of the Universe at play.

In addition to these conceptual issues, the money so far bid for Charlie’s painting also has practical implications. 

I asked Tyler Helfrich, the director of Artworks945 for a list of their expenses.  Here are some of them.

10-ride bus passes for job searches  -- $14 each

1-ride passes to help artists get to appointments and interviews -- $30/month

Acrylic paint -- $100-$200/month

Canvases -- $5 each; $100/month

A large-scale canvas for collaborative paintings -- $80 each (one per month)

These are just a few of their expenses.  Clearly, running an art gallery for the homeless is an expensive affair.  And the amount Charlie’s painting has so far raised is really a drop in a very large bucket. 

But that is all the more reason to hope that people continue to bid on his painting. 

So anyone who wants to contribute to a great organization or who wants to add more evidence against Appraisery, please go to the following page where you can donate money to ArtWorks945. 

https://www.sagepayments.net/sagenonprofit/shopping_cart/forms/donate.asp?M_id=586502948152 

In the comments section, be sure to put the words: For ArtWorks945/The Van Gogh Project.  In that way, your money will go to ArtWorks945, and I will be able to track the increasing evidence against the Appraiser’s worldview.

A Knockout!

Well, ok.  Maybe I’m exaggerating.  It might be more of a knockdown or maybe even a shove.  But ‘Shove!’ hardly work as a headline.  And if I stick to the precise letter of the view that she expressed, the appraiser has indeed been knocked out.

Recall: the appraiser said the damage to Charlie’s painting made it worthless.  WORTHLESS.  To my ear that means I wouldn’t be able to sell his painting for any money. 

Well, appraiser, the bid for Falling Down Man has now reached $42.12.

Now, I realize that $42.12 is not a huge amount of money.  But still, $42.12 is more than nothing.  So I do feel that the appraiser has been shown to be wrong.

Of course, as in all things conceptual, there are some objections one might make at this point.

Objection #1

I haven’t strictly speaking sold Charlie’s painting.  To sell Charlie’s painting requires finding an individual buyer who is willing to put down a certain amount of money for it.

Objection #2

The bids came from my wife and two friends.  (Thank you Lisa, Paul and Keyne!)  But that doesn’t count.  I have to get bids from people I don’t know.  Otherwise, I haven’t really sold Charlie’s painting but have cajoled people into supporting my project.

Objection #3

$42.12 is nothing.  It’s not nothing in the strict sense.  But come on!  It’s hardly something. 

Ok.  I admit.  These are pretty good objections. 

I don’t think I can really answer the third objection at the moment.  Instead, I’ll just have to wait to see if more people bid on Charlie’s painting.  And if some of those people are relative strangers (or at least people over whom I don’t have any undue influence), then the second objection will be answered as well.

But what about the first objection?   From a conceptual point of view, I think the first objection is the most interesting.  I also think I have an answer to it.  But I will wait until the next post to give that answer, since it is a bit long winded. 

Before I end, however, let me remind anyone reading about the procedure to bid on Charlie’s painting.

You need to go to the following webpage, which will allow you to make a donation to UrbanMinistry.  In the comments section, which appears after you have entered your information, you should write: For ArtWorks945/The Van Gogh Project.

So anyone who thinks Charlie's painting is worth more than $42.12 and who would like to make a donation to ArtWorks945, please put in a bid.

The Auction

Finally. 

After much stretching and turning of ideas in my head, I have decided to hold a cumulative auction for Charlie Spear’s Falling Down Man. 

I am not sure whether there is such thing as a cumulative auction.  As a relative outsider to both the art and fundraising worlds, I don’t know the range of events that people hold in order to mix money and art.  It wouldn’t surprise me much were a cumulative auction to have been held and for the words ‘cumulative auction’ to have a fixed meaning already.  But just to make sure that people understand what I intend to do, here is what I mean by ‘cumulative auction’.

A cumulative auction gives people a chance people to do two things at once: (1) donate money to a cause; and (2) help express their sense of how much a painting is worth.

In this case, the cause is ArtWorks945, an art gallery for the homeless in Charlotte; and the painting, as should be clear by now, is Falling Down Man. 

When you ‘bid’ on Charlie’s painting, you need not bid as if you were trying to buy the painting.  Rather, you will add to the total that has already been bid.  Any money bid will go to ArtWorks945.  So you can think of your bid as a donation if you like.  But you can also see it as a way to express your opinion that Charlie’s painting is worth more than what has already been bid.

And where will Charlie’s painting go at the end of the auction? 

Well, it seems to me that there are two possibilities.  It could go to the person who has put in the most money toward the cumulative total.  I think that this is an attractive option, since it would retain some of the feel of a regular auction.  People who wanted to own the painting outright would obviously have an incentive to put in a larger amount of money than anyone else. 

I think I would have chosen that possibility if there weren’t in this particular case another obvious and it seems to me deserving recipient of the painting.  Tyler Helfrich, the director of ArtWorks945, has told me that they intend to start a permanent collection of art.  As of yet, they have no paintings in their collection.  When I discussed the possibility of a cumulative auction with Tyler, we agreed that Charlie’s painting would be a wonderful first piece in their collection.

So Charlie’s painting will go to ArtWorks 945.

To ‘bid’ on Charlie’s painting, you need to do three things.

(1)  Click on the following link, which will take you to the UrbanMinistry donation page.  

https://www.sagepayments.net/sagenonprofit/shopping_cart/forms/donate.asp?M_id=586502948152

(UrbanMinistry is the homeless shelter to which ArtWorks945 is connected.  Here is a link to its website:  http://www.urbanministrycenter.org/)

(2)  Follow the instructions that will allow you to donate however much money you want to donate.  In other words, ‘bid’ on Charlie’s painting.

(3)  Write the following words in the Comments Box that appears after you enter your information: ArtWorks donation for the Van Gogh Project.

This last step is particularly important -- it is the only way the money will be designated for ArtWorks945; and it is the only way I’ll know how much money has been bid for Charlie’s painting. 

And that’s it. I’ll let the auction run for two months. 

I can’t wait to see what happens.

Lisa

I am sorry to have been so absent on this blog lately.  My life has been very hectic in the last month.  As I mentioned in my last post, teaching always cuts into my freedom to write, think and in general lounge around.  But there has been another cause of my lack of free time lately: two weeks ago I got engaged.

When I started this project, Lisa, my fiancé, hadn’t yet moved into my house.  For those who haven’t read the very first few posts I wrote, my house was the motivation for the Van Gogh project in the first place.  When I bought the house, I thought to myself (and still do think to myself quite often) that a Van Gogh would look just great on one of its walls.  And so I decided to try to trade up to one of his paintings.

Anyone following the blog will know that I had made some genuine progress.  Indeed, by my calculations, I had gotten 1/10^th of the way to a Van Gogh.  But then, as those who have been reading the blog will also know, the USPS chucked a spear into a painting I had traded for and so altered the course the project was taking. 

I am now planning to auction off the painting in question – Charlie Spear’s Falling Down Man -- as something of an experiment concerning aesthetic value.  Of course, that means that I won’t be able to continue my quest for a Van Gogh and hence that I will quite likely never end up owning one.  But at the moment, I couldn’t care less.  Why?  Because I now get to have something in my house every day that is way more beautiful than any of Van Gogh’s paintings: Lisa.

I have learned that it really is good to thank the Universe for bringing goodness into one’s life.  So I can’t help but tell the Universe:

Thank you!

Thank you!

Thank you!

And I can’t help but tell Lisa: I love you.

In my next post, which I plan on writing very soon, I will give an update on the auction.  It really is very closer to taking place.