Conversations with Tyler

David Salle on the Experience of Art


Listen Later

When the audience for visual art expanded from small circles of artists and collectors into broader culture, the way art was experienced shifted from aesthetics to explanation. Art, it became thought, should be about something. But David Salle rebukes this literal-mindedness: according to him, what we think and feel when reacting to a piece of art is more authoritative than what’s written on the label next to it. A painter, sculptor, and filmmaker, David is also the author of How to See: Looking, Talking, and Thinking about Art, a highly regarded book on artistic criticism.

David joined Tyler to discuss the fifteen (or so) functions of good art, why it’s easier to write about money than art, what’s gone wrong with art criticism today, how to cultivate good taste, the reasons museum curators tend to be risk-averse, the effect of modern artistic training on contemporary art, the evolution of Cézanne, how the centrality of photography is changing fine art, what makes some artists’ retrospectives more compelling than others, the physical challenges of painting on a large scale, how artists view museums differently, how a painting goes wrong, where his paintings end up, what great collectors have in common, how artists collect art differently, why Frank O’Hara was so important to Alex Katz and himself, what he loves about the films of Preston Sturges, why The Sopranos is a model of artistic expression, how we should change intellectual property law for artists, the disappointing puritanism of the avant-garde, and more.

Read a full transcript enhanced with helpful links, or watch the full video.

Recorded August 18th, 2021 Other ways to connect

  • Follow us on Twitter and Instagram
  • Follow Tyler on Twitter 
  • Follow David on Twitter
  • Email us: [email protected]
  • Subscribe at our newsletter page to have the latest Conversations with Tyler news sent straight to your inbox. 
...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

Conversations with TylerBy Mercatus Center at George Mason University

  • 4.8
  • 4.8
  • 4.8
  • 4.8
  • 4.8

4.8

2,313 ratings


More shows like Conversations with Tyler

View all
EconTalk by Russ Roberts

EconTalk

4,228 Listeners

The Glenn Show by Glenn Loury

The Glenn Show

2,256 Listeners

Making Sense with Sam Harris by Sam Harris

Making Sense with Sam Harris

26,348 Listeners

Hayek Program Podcast by F.A. Hayek Program for Advanced Study in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics

Hayek Program Podcast

72 Listeners

Macro Musings with David Beckworth by Mercatus Center at George Mason University

Macro Musings with David Beckworth

377 Listeners

The Good Fight by Yascha Mounk

The Good Fight

890 Listeners

The Joe Walker Podcast by Joe Walker

The Joe Walker Podcast

121 Listeners

Mercatus Policy Download by Mercatus Center at George Mason University

Mercatus Policy Download

24 Listeners

Uncommon Knowledge by Hoover Institution

Uncommon Knowledge

1,975 Listeners

The Reason Interview With Nick Gillespie by The Reason Interview With Nick Gillespie

The Reason Interview With Nick Gillespie

730 Listeners

GoodFellows: Conversations from the Hoover Institution by Hoover Institution

GoodFellows: Conversations from the Hoover Institution

683 Listeners

Dwarkesh Podcast by Dwarkesh Patel

Dwarkesh Podcast

371 Listeners

Ideas of India by Mercatus Center at George Mason University

Ideas of India

36 Listeners

The Dishcast with Andrew Sullivan by Andrew Sullivan

The Dishcast with Andrew Sullivan

811 Listeners

Honestly with Bari Weiss by The Free Press

Honestly with Bari Weiss

8,563 Listeners

Virtual Sentiments by Mercatus Center at George Mason University

Virtual Sentiments

10 Listeners

"Upstream" with Erik Torenberg by Erik Torenberg

"Upstream" with Erik Torenberg

62 Listeners

"Econ 102" with Noah Smith and Erik Torenberg by Turpentine

"Econ 102" with Noah Smith and Erik Torenberg

143 Listeners

Complex Systems with Patrick McKenzie (patio11) by Patrick McKenzie

Complex Systems with Patrick McKenzie (patio11)

114 Listeners

Pluralist Points with Ben Klutsey by Discourse Magazine

Pluralist Points with Ben Klutsey

4 Listeners

The Marginal Revolution Podcast by Mercatus Center at George Mason University

The Marginal Revolution Podcast

89 Listeners