Synthesis: Alasdair Macintyre

[RonPrice]

One week ago today, on 26 May 2009, I was fortunate to have my wife tape a TV program called Artscape.1 From time to time my wife of 35 years tapes this program for me to watch after midnight so that TV’s soporific but sometimes stimulating content can help me go to sleep after a day, eight hours, of reading/research and writing. This week the focus was on an artist whose method, whose philosophy, whose approach to art was very much like my own. The artist was Alasdair Macintyre. He is a sculptor. I am a poet and writer. I write this prose-poem in appreciation to this artist for providing a helpful perspective on my own work over nearly 50 years. I wish you well, young fellow, and thank you for your articulation, your way of describing what you do. I found you and your work inspirational. -Ron Price with thanks to 1 ABC TV, “Artscape,” 26 May 2009, 10:00-11:00 p.m.

Pop culture and classical culture
collide in your work, Alasdair, as
they do in mine. Art history and so
much more—mythology & religion,
sociology and psychology—in my
case—the weight of history is found
in one great synthesis, one great and
personal autobiographical reflection
which, to some extent at least is, I
like to think anyway—everyman’s.

For you and me art is vocation,
transformative, idiosyncratic &
serious taking in the canon of the
past brought into my time, my age.
I am not a practicing Catholic like
you, Mr. Macintyre, but, rather, I
am a practicing Bahá'í, at least I am
practicing as far as I am able, like you
in your Catholicism. My work is the
whole world unto itself: intellect and
populist stuff, mainstream, coming into
confluence, creative-mix.......synthesis.

Ron Price
3 June 2009