Seeking the Soul

I have opined that the soul of China is survival; that the soul of America is the pursuit of happiness. I hold beyond and to the exclusion of every reasonable doubt that what most distinguishes the human species from all others is the capacity to laugh and have fun. 

When I searched yesterday for a painting of "man laughing" to illustrate a post when Manchester City scored I had a hard time finding one. "Man smiling art history," "people having fun art history"--there wasn't much! I got some kids. I even ran across a Google query, something like "why are there no paintings of happy people." Although no artiste, I have studied art history, albeit as an amateur only, and I knew, I could see in my mind's eye, people hoisting goblets and smiling and laughing and having fun. I did better with "merriment art history." I got those tavern scenes. Are humans only happy when we're drunk? Well, duh. Seriously, think of any portrait painting you have ever seen. Anybody smiling? Think of any arboreal scene you have ever seen painted. People clearly enjoying nature, usually naked, how many people are enjoying it to the extent that they're laughing? If you google any version of "sadness art history" the fucking page about crashes. "Battles art history," "war art history," of God. "Happiness art history," not much.

On that indestructible metal disc we sent up with Voyager, are the man and woman smiling? Their body language is very open, the man, is waving...Une momento por favor...They are!

Man, good for NASA. I am so proud of them for doing that. 

Why wouldn't Western painters show mankind at its best? Oh sir the Old Masters knew mainly survival; suffering, tragedy. Oh bullshit. People have enjoyed life and laughter as much as they have been sad and suffered tragedy. Ooh, the artists are painting what they feel. Van Gogh, right? I do think there is more truth to that than the other. But wait. As the West industrialized and families became fabulously wealthy an indulgence they engaged in was portrait painting. John Singer Sargent most prominently. The great portrait painters painted their subjects, not themselves. Sargent's paintings of women capture all the beauty, sensuality and luxury of the aristocracy and nouveau riche of the Victorian era. 

You are so fucking hot.

Smile, pussycat.

She had more fun than any woman in the 19th century--frigging gave away the pussy.

I count that as happy. Dancing, so sensual. The guy behind her appears to be having an orgasm.

But where are the smiles, the laughter of these wealthy fun-lovers? Serious subjects for serious people, sir! Oh, stick it in your ear, but I do think that's what it is. Fun has a bad name: frivolous, not serious. Too bad. It's mankind at our best.