Kam Zarrabi
March 2023

The Art of Pretending, and Pretending as a Form of Art

Like most people, I do enjoy good art in its multifaceted forms, from paintings and sculptures to music and poetry, architecture, and even those spontaneously created graffiti and other expressive street art.

I don’t intend to get into the broad fields of philosophy of art or aesthetics here; but it is quite obvious that not all people share the same view or the degree of appreciation of what constitutes good, interesting or appealing art.

When I saw an announcement that the University here was showing a selection of its older contemporary art pieces at the Francis McCray Gallery this February, I had to visit the Gallery. Of course, you don’t have to be an accomplished artist to enjoy art, or a professional musician to enjoy music.

But, here is a question that comes to mind: What exactly is “art,” how should it be defined? The Encyclopedia Britannica defines it simply as “Something that is created with imagination and skill and that is beautiful or that expresses important ideas or feelings.” I believe this bland definition is quite inadequate and creates additional ambiguities. For example, how do we define “beautiful,” and what is “important,” to whom or in what culture or social environment?

Let’s sidestep for a second and examine the musical arts: At the Grammy Awards ceremonies this year, a new category was created, Hip Hop or Rap music. This musical art is at least 50 years old, and its gradual popularity, especially among the younger folks, has now reached a point that it rivals those of other top genres. Personally, I love music of all sorts, and always have; but my taste, as indicated by what I select these days to play from among a couple of thousand CDs I have collected, has been shifting away from the more familiar, easy to digest or melodic classics that you can hum or whistle to, toward the more abstract contemporary classics. Well, this is just my personal preference, and I don’t try to talk anyone else into liking it.

The Hip Hop or Rap music is heavily rhythmic and quite expressive of the artists’ feelings and emotions when done well; but not so, at least to me, when overdone. I find it overly expressive when the rappers repeatedly reach for their crotch, apparently a requirement of the genre, during their performance. I wonder if that expression might not gradually evolve into a more demonstrative form as we become more accepting of it! I am, perhaps, too old to truly appreciate this art form, but I did see many older adults in the audience at the Grammy Awards broadcast, who were dancing and clapping with the rhythmic Rap performances. The question in my mind was whether at least some of them were pretending in order to just look “cool,” or were they all truly grooving.

Now back to the contemporary art exhibit at the McCray Gallery: There were just a few visitors examining the works that day. I noticed one fellow checking all the art works hung in the three connected rooms. He appeared to be seriously into it, especially focusing on one of the paintings carefully from various angles, while tilting his head left and right and moving back and forth to view it from different perspectives. He then, gently nodding his head in approval, proceeded to leave the exhibit.

I went to the same painting, a 1967 color intaglio by an acclaimed artist. I tried to make some sense out of it, but to no avail. I thought, perhaps, not making sense or the very meaninglessness of it might have been the artist’s true intention in creating that piece. Well, that wouldn’t make it less than a work of art, which is by definition a creation that represents an artist’s intentions, feelings and emotions. I also moved back and forth and tilted my head left and right, and even took a photograph of it, as though in admiration of that work. Two elderly ladies were standing nearby and smiled as I began to walk away. I also smiled while gently nodding my head as though in approval.

No, I wasn’t nodding in approval or admiration of that artwork, which I didn’t quite understand. I simply didn’t want to appear dense or dumb by laughing it off in front of others who may have understood and appreciated what I was blind to. For a moment that experience reminded me of the way my wife reacts to the—according to her—cacophonous noise I call music: She is not as subtle, though; she is quite vocal about her opinion of my musical taste!

But is there anything categorically wrong with pretending? We are not truly interested in how someone we greet is really doing when we say, “Hi; how’re you doing?” Or, when we return such greeting by responding, “Fine,” when we actually don’t feel so good? In such cases we are complying with the social decorum by being cordial or amicable, which is a kind of social art. That is not much different than putting makeup on to conceal the naked truth and appear to be a more attractive person. I don’t believe there is anything wrong with that. The peacock or the sage grouse and many other species put up fantastic displays, dance around and puff up to attract the potential mate or to scare off the competition.

Aren’t theater arts, plays and movies, all about pretending, anyway? The actor who plays the role of someone else most convincingly wins the Oscar.

I knew a lady some years ago who was a good example of spirituality and blissfulness. She always dressed casually, almost hippy style, in cotton or hemp fabrics rather than rayon or nylon, avoided noticeable makeup and synthetic perfumes, meditated regularly, and made a living by teaching the discipline she referred to as the Sufi tradition. She had several paperbacks by Idris Shah, and a translation of Rumi, which she used to quote from every now and then. Did it really matter if she understood the history and philosophy of Sufism in any depth at her rather young age; she certainly believed she did; or whether Idris Shah or Rumi represented the true Sufi philosophy?

Is it really unacceptable to pretend you are spiritual, whatever the heck that term implies, or that you are into Zen, Buddhism or Sufism, or practice transcendental meditation, if it gives you joy and imparts a sense of self-identity or “specialness” that elevates your spirit?

There is really nothing wrong with pretending, as long as it doesn’t morph into the nefarious art of deception serving ulterior motives. Just watch out for those overambitious, aspiring politicians seeking office these days!