Ineffable: Knowing It When You See It

 "I cannot define obscenity, but I know it when I see it."

That line comes from Justice Potter Stewart's opinion in Jacobellis v Ohio, in which he held a movie in question was not "hard core pornography."

He did not actually use that exact phrase, but it has been a reasonable and widely used paraphrase ever since, as it says that some things are hard to define but that doesn't mean we cannot make a judgment.

Flower Bed Porch, Obadiah Youngblood

The same is very much true for paintings and music.

People make good livings writing and talking about artworks--what makes Van Gogh exceptional? I cannot say, but I know he is. 

Gabrielle Munter 

But the same is true for other artists, who in their own way are just as stunning, although less known.  Gabrielle Munter's paintings adorned the Phantom's previous blog post and they are wonderful, but why the Phantom is at a loss to explain.

Gabrielle Munter

So is Andre DeRain, whose paintings are shown with this post, and so is August Macke. 

Andre DeRain

Munter, Macke, DeRain were orbiting the art world in overlapping orbits, although how much each influenced the others is beyond Mad Dog's ken.  Munter lived for a time with Kadinsky, a Russian artist, who became her lover after he became her art teacher. 

Andre DeRain

They are all wonderful, and they bear a familial resemblance, but like siblings and cousins, they are distinct, not clones or twins.

Andre De Rain