The Procrustean Bed of Judgement

Procrustes, son of Poseidon, was a figure in Greek story who lived in Attica (sorry, not Attica, NY or the prison but a region in which is the city of Athens, Greece).  A rude and discourteous fellow, Procrustes was said to take passersby and lie them down on a bed.   If too short, then he would stretch them out until they fit; if too long, then he would chop off the excess until they did (as in the vase-painting here).

While that’s enough to make him a candidate for Attica state prison, it has also become a figure of speech to describe particular judgements made with preconceived standards.  Granted, any judgement has a preconceived standard according to some foundational understanding as to what is appropriate.  And yet, it is one thing to judge the weight of a guinea pig and another to judge the best flavor of ice cream.  

An Latin adage says it best, de gustibus non disputandum est or “there’s no point arguing about taste.”

Does this apply to the visual Fine Arts?  I think so.  It’s one thing to judge an artwork based upon some formal application of what the artist was trying to accomplish and it is another to make those distinctions according to what you think it should present.  

E.g., if the artist was painting a still-life, then one may make distinctions based upon that.  Of course, it’s not just any still-life as there is more than one way to do this.  And so, one makes leeway for the artist’s take on the method and the subject matter instead of presuming that there is only one acceptable way.  

The latter indicates the standard of the Procrustean bed by presuming a preconceived standard.  The “bed” is the preconceived notion as to what is Art, and in making decisions as to how an artwork is Art, unless one can stretch or shorten the artwork’s ideas to fit the standard, then likely the Procrustean critic will dismiss the artwork. 

I know that it’s a challenge to me to review unfamiliar artwork that doesn’t meet what I would consider to be hallmarks of intriguing expression.  That’s why, usually, I tend to caution.  This wasn’t always the case as decades ago I would be too quick to dismiss artwork that didn’t meet whatever was my standard.  

Now, however, I try to meet the artwork on its own terms in the dialogue between viewer and Art.  It’s not easy, and sometimes I still tend to think that “this looks like…” or “this should be more like…” instead of allowing the art to speak as Art and for itself.