There is Some Accounting for Taste
2022 Year of Aesthetics Series №36 August 19, 2022
As older canon of art, music and literature are challenged lately by whim and naïve critiques. I myself am an abstract artist and am often attracted to new painters as well as old painter. So this is not a critique of new art but the lack of need for a modicum discernment in aesthetics, I believe there is some account and reckoning of taste.
Recently, I was with a good but older friend who I had not seen in years who previously used the phrase, “ There is no accounting for taste.” as a quip or an mild insult. As if taste mattered, but on this last visit it was more in the tone of there is truly no bounds on taste or any need to discern what taste is. As we visited it came up again in the same usage, on my long drive home I had time to think about this, and the change in usage of “ There is no accounting for taste.”
The original intent of the phrase communicated that while we should be laissez faire in our approach in matters of taste ,“ There is no accounting for taste.” implied that one had bad taste and that was a minimum standard not met, a tacit agreement that taste was not overly serious, but that a faux pas bad taste occurred because of lack of sophistication or ignorance .
Now “ There is no accounting for taste.” means that we have an anything goes in matters of taste and that discernment is not important. It is a wild west attitude to art, cuisine, fashion and literature, a blank check rather than a corrective.
Most matters of taste are low cost options or low cost risk of error in my opinion, again the old “ There is no accounting for taste.” while implying a corrective need to take a look at matters of taste implied that the error was not ruinous. It implied one should reevaluate ones position and be willing to make a reasonable defense or a reassessment.
Books
Books are worth learning to be discerning about and to cultivate a sense of taste. A key reason is they are a large time investment. Books have suffered because they were once a key form of entertainment and enlightenment. I would say that I give books an significant amount of time in my life. I have learned how to screen books and determine which books to abandon, before reading.
In youth one should devour whatever comes across your path, when your young it is hard to be discerning since books are about reading and learning what you have a taste for and also building the chops to make a judgement.
First step to decrement in having more than couple books, if you have books that you ignore because you have to many you are making choices of taste. Personal libraries are a cultivation of taste and aesthetic.
It is good to know first that vast majority of books ARE HORRIBLE. A way to sort through things is screening at low cost. I have a wonderful local library (even small ones where I grew up were wonderful most are) where via interlibrary loan I can hold any book I want to hold. With so much potential often that is all I do, I read a few pages or just flip through and say not for me. This skill of knowing a books value at quick screening is the result of doing it for years and a passion for books.
What do I look for, writing style I like , very new or very old works. Writers I like recommend writers, and I have a network of friends who discuss books all the time. I have moved into actively reading hard books with ideas to contend with. I am an accidentally fast reader and I cannot slow down so I often have to re-read or I can slow down on second reading the best books are the ones you will read again.
Art
Art is the main area where I see the lack of taste and the fear of taste developing into a serious problem. I am not against abstract art or modern art but I am against the slipshod and thrown together mess that the art world is swimming in.
I make abstract works on paper, they often are very fast to create, individually but with many failures and false starts before enough experience accumulates to generate a body of works I like, some of my lines are over 20 years old in inception.
This development of a techna is one thing you should discern in art if you are taking it seriously, a good example is the ability to create quickly is often at the expense of 1000s of hours working out technique, a prime example is Picasso who could work very fast as he progressed in age, almost thinking art.
I think the sheer beauty of works is important and to see beauty you must view a lot, see as much has you can, revisit galleries you love, collect works you like. I would say that there is a surplus of good artist out there, be willing to spend work on someone starting out and live with a piece of their work. Above are several works I like that were love at first sight. I don’t have strong criteria on period, type or style. But all these works have developed style, exceptional use of line and color, a selective level of technique, and abstraction.
They are not kitsch or scrabbled together. I am impressed with Ian Pearall’s work that is at the beginning of the essay. I think he is technically excellent experimental and captivating, I would not have been ready for his work 10 years ago, I am ready for it now.
Finally as time passes feel free to walk away from work and artist who seem tired there are some many others to see. Remember who loves pieces you have and let them find new homes when you are less enamored with them.
Music
A pop song is 3 three minutes of paradise. ~Howard Bloom ( record producer)
My first recorded music was a long playing boot leg of the Beatles White Album and Talking Head’s Little Creatures, Fortuna smiled upon me, I drove tractors in endless circles in my youth. This meant I had only one outlet for my boredom endless pop music and the Walkman (Walkmen I have destroyed or demolished or guncked or ran over at least 25 of them) saved my soul. Access to endless bands (and enough Just enough cash ), let me afford a music collection in my musical formative years, The Police, Talking Heads and Eurhythmics, Van Halen and REM arose out of nowhere and I could carry them with me into the endless circles of farmland.
I also was in band and while I was less than stellar trumpet player I got exposure to peers who loved music (many of them were later college friends.) The association with musicians and there favorite pieces of music expanded my mind, people would argue the pantheon of their favorites. I got a touch of Jazz and classical here.
Baby its cold outside ~Frank Loesser
Fargo where I went to school was first regular concert space, cheap and free tickets were like lottery tickets. I saw Leo Kotke and Chet Atkins play at NDSU and many classical student concerts, and you could drive to Minneapolis and see Van Halen. Stereos and music collection were huge, people literally bankrupted themselves on music collection. Also music was more on the level of an album rather than a single, so attention span was important, I think music that last more than a minute or two that is well constructed and thematic was very important, I learned these things from records like Bob Mould’s work book.
Home baby where you want to go to that same ol’ place my sweet home Chicago ~ Robert Johnson
Chicago was where my true music education started. Everyone who is anyone comes to Chicago and it has the best venues. From the Metro, to the mines to The Green Mill, Fitzgerald's, the Aragon Brawl Room and the Riviera, to Rivina, to Orchestra Hall and the Lyric, and free concerts at the Millennium Park. I saw P J Harvey, Cowboy Junkies, Sting, Paul Wertico ,Magic Slim , Robin Ford, Buddy Guy, Winton Marsalis, DAVE BRUBECK (4 times for god’s sake), Anna Netrebko, Renee Fleming, Suzanne Philips, Liz Phair … I fell in with concert goer and met dancers and guitar players and people in bands.
With music, discernment comes with exposure! Listen, see, and listen again. Find concerts , often they are affordable, many free. I have few musical regrets. I am very promiscuous with music but it has to be good. What is good in my mind is cultivated talent, I like complex pieces, that drive at an idea, I like wit in song writing, signers that utilize the full limit of their range.
But I was a LUCKY CASANOVA. My kids are getting formal music education, they both play piano, one sings and plays flute. They perform. I started playing and have become a part of a musical community that loves classical and jazz piano. Formal training buys you a magic ticket into the musical community. I am making more and more friends and hearing things I should have heard decades ago. If you have the time and the will formal lessons will teach you and expose you to limitless vastness of music.
Three friends played for me privately in the last few months, you just don’t get the invite to hear things unless your a fellow traveler. People take the time to point out what I have missed in the endless see of sound.
Culinaria
Food is area where taste is maybe the loosest and the lowest cost in error of getting “wrong” but has large advantages of getting it right. By getting it right I am not talking about snobbery or only dining on haute cuisine, but a love and appreciation for food. Foods have long traditions and development and there is continuous innovations in food culture.
First there will be spaces of food which are beloved by others. I remember trying cold fruit flavored polish duck blood soup, Czarnina, and finding on the third spoon full that I could not put another spoon full in my mouth, my host stopped me and thanked me for trying it. It should be noted I am a rare meat and blood sausage lover, yet this was a rare texture and flavor combination that my body physically rejected. While I love strong scented blue cheese I can not stomach or even taste the smelly blue version of Tofu. I also have tried silk worms which have the texture of mashed potatoes but none of the flavor. It should be noted that I have tried these things and not liked them, some physically and viscerally rejected and some just nothing special.
I have traveled widely and in those travels have had the chance to live in places and work allowing me to eat locally. Sampling and comparing, ranking local foods was a wonderful exploration. I covered a wide space. I also associated with dinners people who took eating out seriously, exploring wine and spirits as important. I formed relationships with people I by food and wine from, I learn the name of waiters, I ask questions about specials and dishes and wine lists. I talk to bartenders about what is good.
Get the good stuff. -Anthony Bourdain The La Halles Cookbook
Food has three main area of significance that make dining better, the first is procurement. Shopping or dining where procurement is important is one of the main things that will improve your development of taste. It need not be extravagant but good, I know who dines well often by those who have great pantries and cellars. Procuring seasonally and locally also has benefits, but at times wines from across an ocean is where you want to be. Your means should be considered in procurement food and drink that leave you worrying about bills at the end of the month.
The second idea is preparation, have you or someone else put some effort in to bringing the most out of your ingredients. Technique for cooking is important the same food can be a pleasure or a hot mess on the plate. Some care in how your food is prepared goes a long way. As well to complicated or over spiced food can lack balance. Good preparation takes the ideas of balance and extension of spices to there limits in unison. Trying various preparations is a way to try a wider range of things. The degree and sophistication of dishes can vary, but being aware of how things can be done and knowledge of how and what can be prepared with ingredients will enrich your experience. Cooking makes one more discerning, if you know what you are doing in the kitchen you learn more possibility of taste. Good cooks are the best teachers and critics.
The final enhancer in having a rich experience is trying things, including traveling, dining with experienced people who know more than you. Sampling and trying new things and forming opinions. Being open exploring new taste is important, it makes one wiser about the possibility of food. Travel allows one to try things you may never get to try otherwise and learn to make it at home. The more you try and the different locations will expand your ability to discern. I have ate on ever content other than Antarctica and have found the local food cultures that were rich and unique, lessons were learned.
I have good friends who taught me much about wines (whites especially) and techniques in cooking, recipes for starting and how and where to dine. My best friend and her husband have exposed me to countless good white and red. The accounting for taste in food and drink is rather personal, yet it is enriched by exploring by oneself and others. I think it would be sad to say there is no accounting for taste in food but that there should after sampling and exploring far and wide.
DISCLAIMER Ernest Boehm is completely self-patronized and will not incur any financial benefit from any Medium article, this is personal choice and he is not against for profit endeavors but does not want to make his writing for profit. He is not financially affiliated with any links included in this article.