Submitted by billkeast on
I remember some years ago talking to a fellow artist at a show who, looking at another artist's work, commented that she had no idea why one would paint barns. I assured her that I knew exactly why a romantic like myself would be enthralled by these structures. Not only does one find a tremendous variety of architectural styles across this country but they are also remnants of a way of life which has all but disappeared. They may not be as old as the pyramids but they too stand as reminders of a way of life long gone.
I am, indeed, a romantic. I understand that progress and change is inevitable and know how much I have benefitted from the change. But I do regret the costs of that change. The problems are many.......globalization, genetically modified foods, factory farming, climate change, desperate situations on the family farm, superb farmland bordering cities falling to developers and so on.
I know no romantic movement in the history of the arts has survived for long in the face of modernism but I do know from my conversations with people at the shows that there are a lot of regrets about how much things have changed since the last world war and that I am not alone in my feelings. I wonder how many "Last Days" there have been in this province over that time.