Comments on: Konstantin Brancusi’s Sculptural Series “The Kiss” (1907 – 1925): To Be Stuck in Personal relations to the Neglect of Understanding of the Public Realm http://www.actingoutpolitics.com/konstantin-brancusi%e2%80%99s-sculptural-series-%e2%80%9cthe-kiss%e2%80%9d-1907-1925-to-be-stuck-in-personal-relations-to-the-neglect-of-the-understanding-the-public-realm/ Weblog opens discussion about the psychology of Bushmerican style of behavior. Wed, 16 May 2012 15:30:11 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Rebeca Marcés http://www.actingoutpolitics.com/konstantin-brancusi%e2%80%99s-sculptural-series-%e2%80%9cthe-kiss%e2%80%9d-1907-1925-to-be-stuck-in-personal-relations-to-the-neglect-of-the-understanding-the-public-realm/comment-page-1/#comment-3405 Rebeca Marcés Sun, 27 Nov 2011 15:25:18 +0000 http://www.actingoutpolitics.com/?p=669#comment-3405 I love Brancusi's The Kiss. I found your blog and the entry very interesting, however, there is an aspect that is to me just as important as the lovers kiss itself. It speaks as a sculpture. This was a rock in which Brancusi saw something else, and to me that is wonderful. He saw a pair of lovers locked in an embrace in a simple piece of nature, in things we see everyday. Some people say they prefer Rodin's Kiss, but I think they're forgetting this aspect of submission to nature in Brancusi's sculpture. That is what I love about it. Be well. I love Brancusi’s The Kiss. I found your blog and the entry very interesting, however, there is an aspect that is to me just as important as the lovers kiss itself. It speaks as a sculpture. This was a rock in which Brancusi saw something else, and to me that is wonderful. He saw a pair of lovers locked in an embrace in a simple piece of nature, in things we see everyday. Some people say they prefer Rodin’s Kiss, but I think they’re forgetting this aspect of submission to nature in Brancusi’s sculpture. That is what I love about it. Be well.

]]> By: Sextant http://www.actingoutpolitics.com/konstantin-brancusi%e2%80%99s-sculptural-series-%e2%80%9cthe-kiss%e2%80%9d-1907-1925-to-be-stuck-in-personal-relations-to-the-neglect-of-the-understanding-the-public-realm/comment-page-1/#comment-1385 Sextant Sun, 20 Feb 2011 14:50:27 +0000 http://www.actingoutpolitics.com/?p=669#comment-1385 I believe that Brancusi’s The Kiss spoke volumes to Victor, when it spoke not at all to me. I prefer Rodin’s The Kiss. In any event I am blind to the overall social message that is being depicted by this series of sculpture, and I tend to agree with Nina more so than Victor. In defense of love, I would like to provide a quote from an interview with Chris Hedges on PBS. Hedges was a war correspondent for about two decades. By his own admission, he became addicted to war, going from one conflict to another. Hedges has seen the worst of mankind’s behavior and yet he believes in love: Q: When you were covering war, you found that the effects on you were such that you sought out the company of people who were in love. Would you talk about that a little bit? A: We used to call it the "Linda Blair effect" in Bosnia. You think you've suddenly found the one, normal person that you can have a rational conversation with, and then after 15 minutes their head starts to spin around. It's just amazing how almost everyone becomes infected with the rhetoric of wartime, and they just parrot back the cliches they're handed. Whatever disquiet they feel, it's as if they can't express it. They're robbed of language. In every conflict I've been in, the only antidote is people who find their fulfillment, their sense of being, in love. In the Balkans, these were often couples who had mixed marriages and, therefore, they were immune from the rhetoric; to paint all Serbs as evil, or all Muslims as evil, or all Croats as evil was to denigrate the spouse, to dehumanize the spouse -- which they couldn't do. These [relationships] are always sanctuaries -- sanctuaries that I went to in the war in Salvador. And this is something that I've thought about years later. It doesn't mean that they didn't become victims. It doesn't mean that they weren't eventually wiped out. But it provided a small circle of sanity in the midst of the insanity, where all of that rhetoric, all of that drive for the ruthless annihilation of the other was held at bay, always by couples, which is why, usually, when you look at people who intervene in a town or a village to help a minority under threat, it's usually couples -- one of whom has that kind of moral quality and knows they have to take a moral stance, and the other who has that kind of compassion and caring that the daily maintenance of taking care of another requires. From PBS Religion and Ethics Newsletter: http://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/week622/hedges.html My own belief is that the couple truly in love is the backbone of a successful culture and society. I believe that Brancusi’s The Kiss spoke volumes to Victor, when it spoke not at all to me. I prefer Rodin’s The Kiss. In any event I am blind to the overall social message that is being depicted by this series of sculpture, and I tend to agree with Nina more so than Victor.

In defense of love, I would like to provide a quote from an interview with Chris Hedges on PBS. Hedges was a war correspondent for about two decades. By his own admission, he became addicted to war, going from one conflict to another. Hedges has seen the worst of mankind’s behavior and yet he believes in love:

Q: When you were covering war, you found that the effects on you were such that you sought out the company of people who were in love. Would you talk about that a little bit?

A: We used to call it the “Linda Blair effect” in Bosnia. You think you’ve suddenly found the one, normal person that you can have a rational conversation with, and then after 15 minutes their head starts to spin around. It’s just amazing how almost everyone becomes infected with the rhetoric of wartime, and they just parrot back the cliches they’re handed. Whatever disquiet they feel, it’s as if they can’t express it. They’re robbed of language.

In every conflict I’ve been in, the only antidote is people who find their fulfillment, their sense of being, in love. In the Balkans, these were often couples who had mixed marriages and, therefore, they were immune from the rhetoric; to paint all Serbs as evil, or all Muslims as evil, or all Croats as evil was to denigrate the spouse, to dehumanize the spouse — which they couldn’t do. These [relationships] are always sanctuaries — sanctuaries that I went to in the war in Salvador. And this is something that I’ve thought about years later.

It doesn’t mean that they didn’t become victims. It doesn’t mean that they weren’t eventually wiped out. But it provided a small circle of sanity in the midst of the insanity, where all of that rhetoric, all of that drive for the ruthless annihilation of the other was held at bay, always by couples, which is why, usually, when you look at people who intervene in a town or a village to help a minority under threat, it’s usually couples — one of whom has that kind of moral quality and knows they have to take a moral stance, and the other who has that kind of compassion and caring that the daily maintenance of taking care of another requires.

From PBS Religion and Ethics Newsletter:

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/week622/hedges.html

My own belief is that the couple truly in love is the backbone of a successful culture and society.

]]> By: Nebris http://www.actingoutpolitics.com/konstantin-brancusi%e2%80%99s-sculptural-series-%e2%80%9cthe-kiss%e2%80%9d-1907-1925-to-be-stuck-in-personal-relations-to-the-neglect-of-the-understanding-the-public-realm/comment-page-1/#comment-1381 Nebris Sun, 20 Feb 2011 08:15:02 +0000 http://www.actingoutpolitics.com/?p=669#comment-1381 While I suspect the writer is projecting rather too much upon poor ol' Konny, he is right on spot in his socio-cultural analysis. While I suspect the writer is projecting rather too much upon poor ol’ Konny, he is right on spot in his socio-cultural analysis.

]]> By: Jenny http://www.actingoutpolitics.com/konstantin-brancusi%e2%80%99s-sculptural-series-%e2%80%9cthe-kiss%e2%80%9d-1907-1925-to-be-stuck-in-personal-relations-to-the-neglect-of-the-understanding-the-public-realm/comment-page-1/#comment-1380 Jenny Sun, 20 Feb 2011 03:59:19 +0000 http://www.actingoutpolitics.com/?p=669#comment-1380 I think Victor may be making something bigger out of the sculptures too but, maybe not. It is very thought provoking though. I enjoyed reading his interpretation. I think Victor may be making something bigger out of the sculptures too but, maybe not. It is very thought provoking though. I enjoyed reading his interpretation.

]]> By: maryam maleki http://www.actingoutpolitics.com/konstantin-brancusi%e2%80%99s-sculptural-series-%e2%80%9cthe-kiss%e2%80%9d-1907-1925-to-be-stuck-in-personal-relations-to-the-neglect-of-the-understanding-the-public-realm/comment-page-1/#comment-1375 maryam maleki Sat, 19 Feb 2011 23:41:23 +0000 http://www.actingoutpolitics.com/?p=669#comment-1375 I love them ! I love them !

]]> By: Antoinette Acosta http://www.actingoutpolitics.com/konstantin-brancusi%e2%80%99s-sculptural-series-%e2%80%9cthe-kiss%e2%80%9d-1907-1925-to-be-stuck-in-personal-relations-to-the-neglect-of-the-understanding-the-public-realm/comment-page-1/#comment-1374 Antoinette Acosta Sat, 19 Feb 2011 22:24:52 +0000 http://www.actingoutpolitics.com/?p=669#comment-1374 This is absolutely an intriguing post! This is absolutely an intriguing post!

]]> By: Tweets that mention   Konstantin Brancusi’s Sculptural Series “The Kiss” (1907 – 1925): To Be Stuck in Personal relations to the Neglect of Understanding of the Public Realm by Acting-Out Politics -- To http://www.actingoutpolitics.com/konstantin-brancusi%e2%80%99s-sculptural-series-%e2%80%9cthe-kiss%e2%80%9d-1907-1925-to-be-stuck-in-personal-relations-to-the-neglect-of-the-understanding-the-public-realm/comment-page-1/#comment-1373 Tweets that mention   Konstantin Brancusi’s Sculptural Series “The Kiss” (1907 – 1925): To Be Stuck in Personal relations to the Neglect of Understanding of the Public Realm by Acting-Out Politics -- To Sat, 19 Feb 2011 21:42:07 +0000 http://www.actingoutpolitics.com/?p=669#comment-1373 [...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by cumhur ersoz, WaxPoeticg. WaxPoeticg said: Constantin Brancusi's sculptures "The Kiss" are so nice... http://bit.ly/gB6PLM [...] [...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by cumhur ersoz, WaxPoeticg. WaxPoeticg said: Constantin Brancusi's sculptures "The Kiss" are so nice… http://bit.ly/gB6PLM [...]

]]> By: Luna http://www.actingoutpolitics.com/konstantin-brancusi%e2%80%99s-sculptural-series-%e2%80%9cthe-kiss%e2%80%9d-1907-1925-to-be-stuck-in-personal-relations-to-the-neglect-of-the-understanding-the-public-realm/comment-page-1/#comment-1372 Luna Sat, 19 Feb 2011 21:32:11 +0000 http://www.actingoutpolitics.com/?p=669#comment-1372 Wow. I totally loved this post! I was just searching for Brancusi's work and found this blog! :) I agree. Many lovers just feel l kidnapped from real world and forget about the whole reality around them. It happened to me. Wow. I totally loved this post! I was just searching for Brancusi’s work and found this blog! :) I agree. Many lovers just feel l kidnapped from real world and forget about the whole reality around them. It happened to me.

]]> By: Suzanne http://www.actingoutpolitics.com/konstantin-brancusi%e2%80%99s-sculptural-series-%e2%80%9cthe-kiss%e2%80%9d-1907-1925-to-be-stuck-in-personal-relations-to-the-neglect-of-the-understanding-the-public-realm/comment-page-1/#comment-1368 Suzanne Sat, 19 Feb 2011 18:23:53 +0000 http://www.actingoutpolitics.com/?p=669#comment-1368 Having read both the interesting interpretation along with the series of photos and the comment by Nina, it seems to me the purpose of art is to generate individual perspectives and considerations of those offered by others. Thank you for this. Having read both the interesting interpretation along with the series of photos and the comment by Nina, it seems to me the purpose of art is to generate individual perspectives and considerations of those offered by others. Thank you for this.

]]> By: Jean http://www.actingoutpolitics.com/konstantin-brancusi%e2%80%99s-sculptural-series-%e2%80%9cthe-kiss%e2%80%9d-1907-1925-to-be-stuck-in-personal-relations-to-the-neglect-of-the-understanding-the-public-realm/comment-page-1/#comment-1366 Jean Sat, 19 Feb 2011 17:06:41 +0000 http://www.actingoutpolitics.com/?p=669#comment-1366 What Victor's narrative reminds me of is the tendency to imagine extremes. Elements of Orwell's 1984 are here, but the overall scheme has not come about: Societies are full of people who naturally go in many different directions. In the realm of ideas, there is no brake on the imagination, no softening of polarities, unless the thinker is already balanced by their own experience in the real world. Surely another tendency is to feel irresistably drawn to express our experience and to interject that into our relationships and into what we artistically or otherwise fashion. Thinking is a great form of entertainment! I enjoy it when it enriches, and try to throw it out the window when it does not. Thank you, Victor and Nina. What Victor’s narrative reminds me of is the tendency to imagine extremes. Elements of Orwell’s 1984 are here, but the overall scheme has not come about: Societies are full of people who naturally go in many different directions. In the realm of ideas, there is no brake on the imagination, no softening of polarities, unless the thinker is already balanced by their own experience in the real world. Surely another tendency is to feel irresistably drawn to express our experience and to interject that into our relationships and into what we artistically or otherwise fashion.

Thinking is a great form of entertainment! I enjoy it when it enriches, and try to throw it out the window when it does not.

Thank you, Victor and Nina.

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