I believe it was Kandinsky who wrote in his book 'Concerning the Spiritual in Art,' that true artists come along rarely, but when they do they lift civilization by a few inches. British artists Gilbert & George (Gilbert Prousch and George Passmore) lift civilization. I admire people who can be ever so polite and full of charm while telling everyone to get fucked. These two men are vivid personalities even while operating as a single artist. If you watch this wonderful BBC documentary about them, you will notice them walking in lockstep through a gallery exhibit of their work.
I have been trolling through the UBUweb.com site which just happens to be one of the greatest sites in the world. Today I found this documentary and sat fascinated by the creative power of these (or this) artist(s). They make photos of almost everything they can find, file them for later use and produce huge shocking colorful works of art. In 2007 they became the first British artist(s) to be shown at the Tate Modern.
Some of their work uses imagery derived from bodily fluids and excrement. Make no mistake, these are magnificently beautiful images. But Gilbert & George make an interesting comment about how their work could never possibly be shown in the United States outside of a totally private gallery. That is truly a shame and is a vivid reminder of just how idiotically conservative and uptight we can still be as a nation. Seriously. Watch the documentary.
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