Tom Paine's Bones

On one of my breaks from the course, I spent a while on the bridge watching the guys in the boatyard dredge the river to pull out an industrial piece of tubing, which had floated down the water from a nearby factory.  The rubber was entangled under the boats and was in risk of getting caught on the barges' propellors, which would have burnt out the engines.  One of the boats was called the "Thomas Paine".



I'm interested in Tom Paine, and his resistance to organized structures (religion, government) within societies, which end up 'tyrannizing' the ideals they are meant to promote.   An useful analogy for thinking about the visual arts/culture today? We discussed a lot about how arts projects are represented and the desire to let the projects reveal themselves with an honesty, authenticity and integrity,... Can project be led by "Common Sense"?

 

That which we obtain too easily, we esteem too lightly. - Thomas Paine