Styles come and go. Good stays the same. I learned this wisdom from a man who fled his native Romania after the communists took over.
His name was Michael Constant.
He was university-trained to the rigorous standards of old Europe, which demanded greater learning than new-world universities.
I knew him when he managed the Humanities Program at the Educational Research Council of America.
He was an unpretentious man of imposing intellect; he composed symphonies now and then, for no more reason than that he enjoyed the process.
I enjoyed his erudition.
I worked with Mr. Constant as book designer
of various projects for many years. His deep knowledge
of the Arts shaped my understanding of why Art matters.
I never presumed to call him Michael.
Despite my self-imposed formality, we did become friends. We talked of many things.
I often asked questions that had little to do with the project we were working on. Mr. Constant always answered in full, even when my questions were naïve.
He sometimes surprised me by making a joke. When I asked the categories of modern art, he said, "Op art, Pop art, and Cop art".
Cop art?
Mr. Constant smiled a mischievous little smile and explained: "Police assist eye-witnesses to identify criminals by placing transparencies of different noses, mouths, and eyebrows over a featureless face -
That’s Cop art - I did not say it was good art".
His joke prompted me to ask, "What is good art"?
Mr. Constant had thought about that question for
all of his life. He answered without hesitation: "Good art,
is Art with a capitol A".
"We capitalize real Art is because it's aesthetic value extends beyond time and place.
Certain creations, even when made thousands of years ago, are as beautiful now as when they were made.
There is a name for this.
The proper name for timeless beauty is - Classic.
Some few people recognize Classics when they're first made; centuries must pass before the rest of us can be sure. Styles come and go. Good stays the same".
That's what I learned long ago, from Michael Constant.