William T. Wiley, Imitation Wouldn't, 2009, watercolor and ink on paper, 30 x 22 inches
Loving whatever it is that you clutch to your chest and call “art” means taking some care of the culture around that word and its objects. It’s a positive gesture to some kind of eternity. It means you love the making of things, and you do not fear those things, nor fear or resent the artist who makes the things you don’t understand. You care for the artist who passively refuses to take part in whatever culture he deems damaging to his mind or spiritual well-being.
