Wednesday, May 27, 2009

De Gustibus Non Est Disputandum

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The Gypsy Caravan was loaded with little figurines, dolls and toys, virtually all on sentimental themes. Would you buy any of this stuff for reasons other than irony? Readers of this blog know that I am not a fan of cute for cuteness' sake. If something cute turns up here, it's for a reason besides getting an "aaah, isn't that sweet?" reaction. But, as I've said before, you pays your money and you takes your choice.

I had a doddering old Jesuit for an ethics class when I was an undergraduate. He was fond of nattering on about the Latin phrase de gustibus non est disputandum, that is, there's no disputing taste. He meant that what he and his pals thought was good taste was beyond dispute. Reverend father didn't get it. He might have loved this stuff from the flea market but I can't be sure. What were his tastes? He might have been horrified at the music I like, both now and when I was 20 (I was 20 once, you know). You might have thought that his ideas about ethics were totally corny or that they were principled and based on centuries of thought. You pays your money and you takes your choice.

So, I don't think it's a good thing to look down your nose at porcelain figurines (even though I might sometimes), at least not publicly. What delights me may make you choke. Your ideal may provoke howls of derisive laughter somewhere. I won't dispute your taste if you don't dispute mine.

Many more photos have been added to my Gypsy Caravan set on Flickr, which you can view here.

TOMORROW: Thursday Arch Series with all new material! Think cheap plastic camera.

AND BY THE WAY, the video on U "R" Us' post yesterday on Chicago Flair is ROTFL funny. It's a birthday party invitation. We shoulda been there. Check it out.

4 comments:

Olivier said...

de beaux portraits avec ces poupées.
J'aime bien le petit chaperon rouge.

Maggid said...

Causes me to remember my foster mother saying, "Who has time to dust it all?"

Thank you for your work.
g

PJ said...

What's interesting to me is that you've made all the pieces look desirable, photographically speaking. Maybe it's perspective that you can't argue with.
I like the bokeh in the first one.

Anonymous said...

That's funny. My high school Latin teacher, a former Jesuit, used the "de gustibus" expression all the time.