1987 ARTICLE FROM THE ARIZONA REPUBLIC ON COWBOY
ART.
Need a similar article on
cowboy "poetry."
See My
Chapter on Eddie Bashas' Gallery
Richard Nilsen, The Arizona Republic October 31, 1987
Head 'em up, move 'em out
Newspapers
See Eddie Basha Page
Go back to Art
HOME
LETTER TO
THE AUTHOR OF THIS ARTICLE, RICHARD NILSON
Back to Quacks and Oddities
A PERSONAL AFTERWORD
I know I
will seem unforgivably elitist,
but believe me—a guy who likes
Tarzan novels—if you doubt a
single word of the article
above, go see the Eddie
Basha "art" gallery in Chandler.
You have to see it yourself in
person on site to realize just
how well it confirms the above article's point.
I loved
Eddie, but he seems to
have missed the epiphany that I
had when I saw the gallery. Oh,
he knew what would fit in this
"museum." Each piece goes in the
gallery well. But that's only
because each piece is an equal
glimpse of the monotony of all
of the others.
I just drove over there. I was
overwhelmed to see the amazing
skill of people with a certain
missing artistic muse. There
were I think three painting
styles that were used. The works
seemed to be those of craft
makers. Every painting was
the same. Exactly the same. Some
depicted historical events. It
didn't matter. Many were
apparently painted from photos
and bright with pixel-perfect
detail as though that were the
goal of art and nothing else
save the saccharine, vapid
message. Every painting said the
same
thing
and had exactly the same dreary
staged look. The so-called
sculpture did this as well. Each
piece was so perfectly and
neatly done that each had the
look of your grandmother's
living room furniture or grand
dad's mustache grooming.
I had to leave early as I feared
I would get cowpoke pellagra
feasting my eyes on such
mountains of corn.
Again, I sound so elitist, but I
am no art critic and even I got
a weird feeling from this
apparent masquerade. It's just
not art and even as craft it
carries a glaring, insipid point
of view.
MY COMPLETE REPORT ON THE
GALLERY:
See My
Chapter on Eddie Bashas' Gallery