I have a thought experiment I do sometimes (yes, I am and only child. And yes, I did grow up without high-speed internet or cable tv...) where I have to show an alien the best of human culture, and I only get to pick one of each art form: one painting, one sculpture, one photograph, one novel, etc. For painting,s, I came up with La Vie by Picasso:
I wouldn't consider Picasso my favourite painter, I don't think, but I feel this painting has so much of humanity in it.
I like the way it's figurative, but has that "fantastical abstract twist" of being entirely blue- it's melancholy because Picasso painted it after the death of his childhood friend.
The sketches in the background are interesting, too. They show the artist's progress... I feel like Picasso is deconstructing the art of painting for us, and there's something very intimate about that. I still have to come up with the novel, the piece of music, and the sculpture for the alien. Any help with that would be amazing :)
Wow, that is a phenomenal choice for a painting to show an alien. I'm still thinking of films, novels, and music, but will definitely get back to you on that. Thanks for the share!
I worry that maybe it's a little sad for the alien? I wouldn't want him, blinded by tears, to crash his spaceship on the way home...
I've only been looking at it for about 15 seconds, and I say that IS a great choice for a painting to show aliens.
Any thoughts about what film/novel/music to give them? They are quite demanding aliens...
I'm thinking we should maybe give them Shawshank Redemption. It shows that we're a flawed species, but that love, friendship, and belonging are more important. Music? You couldn't go wrong with any classical music, really. But how about some Phillip Glass? Koyaanisquatsi:The Grid? As far as a novel, I don't think I've read enough to make a good judgement. I'll have to think on that. It feels like the answer is easier than I'm making it. Maybe it should be one of those simple novels that made you cry as a teenager. Where the Red Fern Grows or something like it. Culturally speaking, I'd be better to have something more representative of our world than my white-bread, boring culture, though.
Koyaanisquatsi is definitely the film to show them. It's perfect. I'm going to read Where the Red Fern Grows. It sounds like exactly the kind of book I love, but I've never come across it - I guess boring white-bread UK culture is a little different than boring white-bread american? I heard "Che Farò Senza Euridice" today, and I thought that might be music for the alien? There's a version of it here. Although it might be way too cheesy for him...
I haven't been thinking about this for very long, but I think anything by Vonnegut would be a good choice for a novel. He does such an amazing job portraying the how ordinary people deal with extraordinary situations, all with some fantasy and humor sprinkled on top.
Could you recommend a particular Vonnegut book? I'm always looking for the next great read.