Art and Laughter

Sheri Klein

• Éditeur: I.B. Tauris
• Année: 2006
• ISBN:
  9780857732774
• Édition: 1
• Sujet: Art
• Sous-sujet: Art General

This is the first book to take seriously (though not too seriously) the surprisingly neglected role of humour in art. "Art and Laughter" looks back to comic masters such as Hogarth and Daumier and to Dada, Surrealism and Pop Art, asking what makes us laugh and why. It explores the use of comedy in art from satire and irony to pun, parody and black and bawdy humour. Encouraging laughter in the hallowed space of the gallery, Sheri Klein praises the contemporary artist as 'clown' - often overlooked in favour of the role of artist as 'serious' commentator - and takes us on a tour of the comic work of Red Grooms, Cary Leibowitz, 'The Hairy Who', Richard Prince, Bruce Nauman, Jeff Koons, William Wegman, Vik Muniz, and many more. She seeks out those rare smiles in art - from the Mona Lisa onwards - and highlights too the pleasures of the cute, the camp and the downright kitsch.

Chapter 1

Before the Laugh

Humor is a kind of perverse raise of the world of foolishness.

Donald Kuspit, ‘Tart, Wit, Wise, Humor’

Humour theory can help explain why people are amused and laugh, which may help to explain why the major forms of humour, such as parody, pun, paradox, satire and irony are funny to some but not to others. A discussion of both historical and contemporary artworks is provided to illustrate how each form of humour is situated within contemporary art history. Art history is replete with artists who are well known for their abilities to be humorous and twentieth-century art movements such as Dada and Surrealism, Fluxus, California Funk, Chicago Imagism and Pop Surrealism are discussed to provide a context for understanding the artists presented in this book.

Defining Humour

Humour, according to the Webster dictionary, is ‘a quality which appeals to a sense of the ludicrous or absurdly incongruous’, and the ‘mental facility of discovering, expressing, or appreciating the ludicrous or the absurdly incongruous; comical, or amusing’. Humour may also be defined as an attitude that makes jokes and comedy possible through understanding reality, but refusing to be constrained by it.¹ Similarly, Surrealist writer André Breton defines humour as the denial of reality and a splendid affirmation of the pleasure principle.²

I think that Breton may have been onto something, as was Freud, in relating the experience of humour to the experience of pleasure. This may explain why we keep coming back for more laughs, either through comics, sitcoms or art. Yet, there is more to gelotology, or the study of laughter. A number of humour scholars have addressed humour theory, which may help to explain the kinds of humour associated with visual art and the reasons why people may respond to art with laughter.

Theories of Humour

The incongruity theory may best explain the root cause for all humour. Blaise Pascal, a French philosopher, first proposed the theory of incongruity in the 1600s and said: ‘Nothing produces laughter more than a disproportion between that which one expects, and that which one sees.’³ Further along these lines, Hutchenson, Kant and Schopenhauer made similar statements that support that humour is a result is because of the unexpected.⁴ According to Schopenhauer, laughter results from the fact that we ‘get something that we are not expecting’.⁵ Of course, the unexpected cannot be threatening, but as Morreall explains it is a ‘pleasant jolt’ in thinking that is made possible through our recognition of the surprise.⁶ Humour arises via a process of acknowledging what seems to be out of sorts, i.e. surprise, and in a way that undoubtedly gives us some pleasure.⁷

The superiority theory of humour acknowledges that for something to be funny the viewer must feel some delight in seeing others come to some travail, but thank goodness that it isn’t us! It is a psychodynamic theory advanced by Bergson in 1928 that emphasized the social function of humour – that humour and pleasure can be derived from finding delight in others’ misfortunes through mockery and ridicule.⁸ Superiority theory can be traced back to the writings of Plato⁹ and Aristotle,¹⁰ and can account for why we find something humorous and laugh at the completely ridiculous and absurd. Terms associated with superiority theory include aggressive-defensive humour and playful aggression. Examples of practical jokes and satire may be explained by superiority theory. Some may say that all humour contains some degree of hostility: think of these terms associated with humour – ‘punch line’, ‘biting satire’ and ‘side-splitting humour’.¹¹

Herbert Spencer and later Freud asserted that laughing is a release of restrained energy associated with the repression of socially taboo or forbidden thoughts or behaviour. According to this theory, we hide behind our socially constructed masks and personas until we are confronted by images or thoughts that trigger the surfacing of our deepest and darkest fantasies or fears. In laughing, we are able to release the tension of withholding these forbidden impulses. The relief theory of humour is at work when we look at erotic art, satire, caricatures, experience disgust humour, amusement from watching others engage in social or moral taboos, or actions involving bodily functions.

Another theory of humour that has relevance for understanding contemporary art is the sociological theory of humour. This theory recognizes that although the ability to understand and appreciate humour may be universal, non-members of a culture who have not internalized the behaviours, social norms or values of the culture may not fully appreciate the humour within social interactions and in cultural texts, such as jokes and art.¹² Similarly, another humour scholar, Avner Ziv, writes that the function of humour may vary from culture to culture and that humour has four basic functions:¹³ first, to achieve group solidarity; second, to reduce conflict and conceal malice; third, to control, perpetuate or challenge norms and stereotypes; and fourth, to induce pleasurable experiences. The third and fourth functions of humour as outlined by Ziv are most applicable to the contemporary artworks discussed in this book.

While the incongruity theory of humour can be applied to all kinds of humour it really addresses only the cognitive dimensions of humour perception, and fails to address how personal, cultural and social factors influence humour production and perception. Therefore, humour theories may explain only in part why we laugh at incongruities. It is important to keep in mind how our unique personal and cultural backgrounds influence our abilities to understand and appreciate the varieties of humour that may be discovered through looking at visual art.

Laughter and Humour

Each of the main theories of humour discussed thus far can translate into a theory of laughter, that is, why we laugh. As Morreall explains: ‘There is no one theory of laughter; some classify laughter as emotion, and others a behavior.’¹⁴ However, Morreall does connect laughter with emotion, as he says ‘we laugh with glee, scorn, or giddiness’.¹⁵ Ultimately, laughter is a multisensory experience that involves our emotions, sound and visual and physical gestures.

The theories of superiority, incongruity and relief may partially explain why we laugh and what we laugh about. Superiority theory explains laughter as an expression of a person’s feelings or superiority over others; we laugh to make fun of others so we feel better about ourselves.¹⁶ Ludovici, in The Secret of Laughter, says that we feel superior through laughter by baring our teeth, that smiling is really an aggressive act whose purpose is to assert our physical prowess in the threat by an enemy.¹⁷ The incongruity theory of laughter states that we laugh when we express something that does not fit into an expected pattern; we laugh because what we get is not what we expected.¹⁸

The relief theory of humour postulates that we laugh because we are releasing nervous energy, and in this sense it not a competing theory. Herbert Spencer, in On the Physiology of Laughter, explains that laughter is like the releasing of a valve.¹⁹ Similarly, Freud viewed laughter as a surplus of energy that needed to be released to let go of our unconscious, forbidden thoughts and feelings.²⁰ Morreall’s own theory on laughter includes the following necessary components. First, for laughter to occur there must be a sudden change to trigger the laughter and this psychological shift must be pleasant.²¹ The result of laughter, according to Morreall, is a changed psychological state that is boosted by positive feelings and a release of repressed feelings. He warns, however, that laughter and humour are not synonymous, and that ‘there are cases of laughter that do not involve incongruity, and not all incongruity will trigger laughter’.²² In other words, we can laugh out of embarrassment or to disguise pain. In addition, we can experience humour, without laughing, but rather through smiling, or smirking.

A sense of humour is the ability to recognize the ludicrous or the incongruities presented to us, and of course, find them funny. A sense of humour is critical to appreciating the incongruities made apparent by artists. In recognizing humour, we typically respond with a smile. Smiling is a physical contraction of the facial muscles combined with an upward movement of the lips that may reveal the teeth, in whole or in part. The eyes are known to smile, too, and usually, when the lips are smiling and curled up, the eyes are twinkling with delight. We smile to acknowledge that we have found humour, delight and pleasure.

We also laugh, making sounds with our mouths that may last for seconds or minutes. We rarely laugh for hours. Laughing is a rather immediate and transitory experience that Aristotle thought to have redeeming qualities. Laughter is typically associated with pleasure, and according to Freud, laughter is the ‘pleasure resulting from the lifting of the cathexis which has previously been present’.²³ In keeping with Freud, Morreall proposes the following definition: ‘Laughter results from a pleasant psychological shift.’²⁴ Laughter may be defined as a neurological response, as Robert Provine, a pioneer in studying laughter as a neurological phenomenon, suggests.²⁵ The essence of the arousal–safety theory of humour, which explains that it is all right to be surprised, but the surprise needs to be non-threatening, and at the same time, is still amusing. This book contains images that I consider may be surprising and non-threatening. Therefore, there is a high probability that the images in this book may cause you to smile and laugh, and with some degree of pleasure.

While we may laugh alone, laughing with others always seems more enjoyable and, in fact, laughter is said to be contagious. While looking at art is considered to be a solitary experience, the experiencing of the works that invite our laughter may be enhanced through viewing, and laughing with others who share our interest in art, and laughter.

Terms Associated with Humour

A number of terms are used to describe something humorous, both generally and when discussing an artwork – for example, hysterical, witty, zany (or goofy) and bawdy – and are discussed.

Hysterical may describe a ludicrous or outrageous image that results in a response of uncontrollable laughter, knee slapping, watery eyes or stomach pains. Witty describes a sharpness or quick perception of incongruities usually associated with verbal or visual puns, or a play on words. Wit is recognized as a higher form of humour that plays with ideas and our perceptions,²⁶ and witty images may invite a chuckle or quiet smile. Bawdy refers to obscene or indecent humour associated with art that contains sexual imagery. Zany is outright goofy and fun, slightly on the ridiculous side, but playful, and non-threatening, and can be found in parody and satire. Bawdy humour may be referenced in the erotic works in Chapter 6, and may illicit a ‘guffaw’ type of laugh, a chuckle behind a hand. There is no telling what art, or types of humour discussed in this chapter, will provoke a response from the reader (or viewer), and to what degree. After all, laughter is in the eye of the beholder.

Major Kinds of Humour Associated with Visual Art

It is important to distinguish between the major kinds of humour associated with art, such as satire, parody, pun, paradox, irony and dark humour. All humour has the power to disrupt our expectations and associations in both subtle and obvious ways. An artist grabs our attention with humour making us good candidates to ‘listen’ to their messages. Through humour, the artist is able to accomplish the three Es: enlighten, elevate and educate. Depending on the type of humour, the purpose of humour may include gently mocking others or us, as in parody, taking delight in words that force a new association, as in pun, finding satisfaction in seeing aspects of the human condition mocked, as in satire, or recognizing the contradictions inherent in life, as in irony, or expressing the tragic and comic as in dark humour. The following are some descriptions of the five forms of humour with examples of artworks. While each form of humour is discussed separately for the point of clarity and making distinctions between them, it is important to note that many contemporary artworks employ multiple forms of humour.

Parody

Parody is one of the most common forms of humour found in contemporary art.²⁷ We can witness endless parodies through the appropriations of famous artworks and popular culture images that find their way onto coffee cups, greeting cards and dish towels. Some of the most parodied artworks in the history of art include the gentle mocking of art icons, such as Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci, The Scream by Edvard Munch and Van Gogh’s Sunflowers.

The break-up of a view of art as permanent, idealized, beautiful and accurate gave rise to an aesthetic of impermanence, and an opening for artists to begin critiquing the history of art. Parodies gently mock art, cultural and historical icons through appropriating and altering images, and layering them with new meanings. Parody allows for a respectful exploitation of artworks with a twist of novelty. The postmodern period of art, the 1980s to the present, has witnessed a proliferation of parody that continues to flourish due to effortless digital photography that enables image manipulation and multiple printings. Postmodern artists also see a fertile ground in using parody to critique contemporary culture, personal and social histories, and the art world. Through a gentle mocking, artists can disrupt any artistic or cultural icon that is seen as original or sacred.

Parody has become one of the major avenues for deconstructing art, in that a parodied work ‘talks back’ not only to the original work but also to other parodies. It is important to realize that parody prospers in periods of cultural sophistication of viewers.²⁸ Given the digital age that we live in, we have more sophisticated viewers due to the access to art images available at our fingertips, and more artists appropriating and altering art images.

2. Playing cards with image of ‘La Grande Jatte’ by Seurat, c.1960.

Parodies, however, are not just a postmodern phenomenon; even modernist and realist artist Norman Rockwell parodied art, and himself. Using the principal devices of incongruity, parody is achieved through appropriation, juxtaposition, exaggeration and the repetition of images. In Triple Self-Portrait (1960), the artist, Rockwell, sits at his easel looking into a side mirror as he paints his own portrait. What he begins to paint o...

Table des matières

• Cover
• Title page
• Copyright page
• Contents
• List of Illustrations
• Preface
• Acknowledgements
• Introduction: Taking a Serious Look at Art and Laughter
• 1. Before the Laugh
• 2. Smiling Portraits in Art
• 3. Playing with Words and Images
• 4. The Art of Disguise
• 5. The Big, the Small and the Funny
• 6. Humour, Sex and Death in Art
• 7. The Desire for and Consumption of Cuteness
• 8. The Public Spectacle: Performance Art and Laughter
• Conclusion
• Notes
• Bibliography