On the Turning Away
Richard Bledsoe “Fugue” acrylic on canvas 20″ x 16″
“Every record has been destroyed or falsified, every book has been rewritten, every picture has been repainted, every statue and street building has been renamed, every date has been altered. And that process is continuing day by day and minute by minute. History has stopped. Nothing exists except the endless present in which the party is always right.”
-George Orwell, 1984
art
That quote, and many others from the same seminal work, are frequently cited on the internet these days. Orwell’s prophetic concepts are being enacted in real time right now, all around us. It’s frustrating because it’s all so contrived, and choreographed; nevertheless, actual damage is being done.
But the great unmaking is not a new phenomenon. The long-planned destruction of Western Civilization has been going on for decades, hidden in plain sight. The corrosion was gradually implemented by the imitation of improvements, so-called updates and upgrades enacted under the camouflage of compassion, done in the sacred name of “progress.”
Across our nation, the sleeper cells have been activated. The Democrat Party is openly fomenting crime and treason. The Republican shtick of acting like feckless nincompoops has been exposed as just another aspect of the racketeering. The GOPe isn’t really the Stupid Party; they are in on the plot, and are knowingly betraying us.
What the last few months have proven is that the elites intend to progress us right back into feudalism. The portion of the general population allowed to survive will be the cowering serfs under the New Aristocracy of the Well Connected.
Who gets to be part of these new overlords? To be part of the ruling establishment, you don’t need to actually be competent, or effective, or creative; you just need to conform to the dogmas, assertively and ostentatiously. That’s where their conceits begin to break down.
Postmodernism is the default globalist position. This rancid philosophical disguise for Marxism denies truth, dismantles rationality, and seeks to create unaccountable power for its acolytes. Virtue signaling and parroting work great for navigating the intricacies of the Postmodern hierarchies. However, outside their invented ecosystem, reality is a ruthless judge of the results the drones of the hive mind produce.
The undermining of our heritage, growth, and potentials didn’t start with the toppling of statues. In my 2018 book, Remodern America: How the Renewal of the Arts Will Change the Course of Western Civilization, I discussed how the establishment drained the vitality out of the culture, to preserve their own privileged status:
Postmodernists often raid from the past and the efforts of actual craftsmen in order to cobble together their disjointed offerings. The elitists presumed an aristocratic privilege to loot and pillage. They justified the misuse by asserting they were doing it ironically, which leads to questioning, and just what is art anyway, blah blah blah.
But now a more insidious tactic has taken form. The Postmodernists want to keep us frozen in this cultural moment, where they call the shots. This involves stifling new developments. They are still stealing like crazy, but are fencing their booty in such a way they are pushing sentimental buttons, not ironic ones. It’s a warmer, cuddlier version of the con.
The clearest cultural examples of this can be seen coming out of Hollywood. The film industry has been devoured by remakes, reimaginings, sequels, prequels, and self-referential “universe” combines. We’ve even had to invent a new term for awkward hybrids of remake and sequel: the requel.
Instead of displaying actual creativity, movies are just hoping to remind the audience of something that was once creative. The 2015 production Star Wars: The Force Awakens is a prime example. I’ve already discussed how George Lucas exposed himself as a haughty Postmodern technocrat in the terrible prequels he released. Those pictures might have made big box office coasting on the reputation of the original Star Wars trilogy, but the money-men were alarmed by the poor quality of the product. The studios don’t really care about quality, but they needed to keep the brand name viable, and they didn’t trust the mind that brought us Jar Jar Binks. To save the franchise, Star Wars was purchased from Lucas and farmed out to hired studio hands.
I enjoyed The Force Awakens as a superficial popcorn movie. But I noticed it was constructed out of self-conscious references and obvious rehashes of elements from the original Star Wars. It was like a washed up band with a couple of its elderly members still on board, playing alongside politically correct diversity hires. They trotted out the golden oldies from decades before. Hey, remember this one— Luke’s Jedi training drone? And so on and so on.
The film and its subsequent followups are full of shout outs like that. It is distracting to keep seeing oblique references to earlier, better movies. Not only that, but these updated versions ruin the legacy of the classic previous films with the addition of nasty, muddled Postmodern philosophizing. These artless attempts to reprogram the archetypes are off-putting, and add another layer of disgraceful failure to the projects.
(Note that I wrote this before the franchise killer The Last Jedi shat upon us all. I won’t be watching The Rise of Skywalker, because it’s pointless at this point. )
Ah, those were the good old days, when the elites were still feeding us soma to keep us passive and distracted. No more lulling for us. Now we are getting the boot to the face, good and hard. The intimidation, destruction and violence were lurking behind the pleasure dome ambiance all along. It’s the Leftist way.
As our current establishment is seemingly committed to descending from cultural stagnation into outright collapse, what can be done?
Enduring changes start in the arts, because real art gives tangible form to ideas. Art translates concepts into action and influence.
I will continue to use the liberty I have to express my visions. I will encourage art that understands life is a beautiful gift, full of both individual and shared significance.
I’m finding inspiration from outside of the arts, and looking to transmute convictions into communications. For years I’ve been following the persecution prosecution of General Michael Flynn. To me, this man is potentially the linchpin for undoing the globalist scheme. The Deep State puppet judge is still stalling, but it seems like the conclusion of Flynn’s show trial may be coming.
This impression was reinforced when Flynn recently released a remarkable editorial, “If We Don’t Act, 2% of the People Are About To Control the Other 98%.” In it, Flynn offers encouragement:
Don’t fret. Through smart, positive actions of resolute citizen-patriots, we can prevail. Always keep in mind that our enemy (these dark forces) invariably have difficulties of which we are ignorant.
For most Americans, these forces appear to be strong. I sense they are desperate. I also sense that only a slight push on our part is all that is required to defeat these forces. How should that push come?
Flynn goes on to recommend prayer and support for our beleaguered law enforcement, vital advice. But even more so, he calls on all lovers of freedom to take action. Now. While we still can.
I’m a painter, not a pastor, policeman or a politician. But I get the message. I can do my part of making that slight push, through art. To provide an alternative to the institutional dreck being forced on us. Break the monopoly, and break this evil spell.
I became involved with the international arts movement Remodernism over 10 years ago. Finally I saw people speaking out against Postmodern decay, and providing an alternative.
It was so much more fun to counter the silliness, when the art market was presenting obscenely priced obscenities and folly. Now the art world, like every other aspect of life under our credentialed-but-ignorant elites, is merely another part of the totalitarian combine. Grim and incompetent leftwing propaganda has assimilated the art world.
Our current cultural institutions are run by toadies and apparatchiks, not creatives. They can’t compete in an open exchange of artistic efforts and ideas, because all their training and inclinations consist of spreading ideology, not art. And let me tell you, despite the irrelevance which elitist malfeasance has forced onto art, it remains a potent force of humanity, currently being underutilized.
Real art provides society the inspiration to live up to ideals, the encouragement to think and feel deeply, the yearning to harmonize with truth and beauty. Real art can tear the wheels off the dehumanizing, corrupt juggernaut that was stealthily constructed to crush us all.
The unexpected tenacity of American citizens has rattled the insiders. They’ve had to make their move too soon, before their battlefield was fully operational. Exposed, they are weakened.
As I share in Remodern America:
We need an art for this era, and we won’t get that by mimicking the outer appearances of works from long ago. Remodernism does not imitate what came before. We find in ourselves the same divine essence of love and excitement which has inspired masterpieces throughout history. We do our own work.
As Modernism showed us, genuine art both reflects and shapes the time of its creation. Remodernism is about capturing the spirit of this age in personalized expressions. The Postmodern institutions are working hard to suppress this cultural evolution. They are desperate to maintain their social monopoly, and the stakes are even higher than the art world. The longstanding globalist plot is in real jeopardy.
Renew the arts, and renew the civilization. Where we go one, we go all. Envision the opportunities of a Remodern America, represented by art of the people, by the people, and for the people.
*************
I don’t fundraise off of my blog. I don’t ask for Patreon or Paypal donations. If you’d like to support the Remodern mission, buy a book. Or a painting.
My wife Michele Bledsoe has written her own inspirational book, Painting, Passion and the Art of Life.
Please send any inquiries to info@remodernamerica.com. Thank you!
Update: Welcome Instapundit readers! Please visit other articles for more commentary on the state of the arts.
THE REMODERN REVIEW 