Envying the Bold

Václav Špála, 1924. Public domain image courtesy Wikimedia Commons. I continue to return to variations of the same conclusion: I lack the artistic creativity, vision, and intellectual confidence of true masters; in this case, Derek Jarman or Ansgar Allen. More than any of the other factors, the real lack may be the boldness necessary to believe in and carry through a bold project, but let’s look first at what’s occasioning these thoughts this time around. I was reminded of the yawning abyss between my own offerings and the first of the two men mentioned while watching Jarman’s brilliant Wittgenstein the other night.1 For me, at least, the film gets at the heart of the frustratingly, beautifully complex thinker-as-individual, and does so via an almost primitive stage set: a few props in each scene against a black background. While the costuming is often elaborate, it’s only in cases where it’s truly needed, and the complete lack of special effects lets the monologues and dialogues…