The Aesthetics of Narcissism

Krauss argues in his opening statement that at the center of film lies the inevitable act of narcissism, and he bases this on the medium of the practice compared to those of other fine art. While other mediums may employ paint to simulate a psychological state, video art uses psychological states as a way to paint the canvas of the film. Indeed, the human body is the central element to a majority of film; and its relative immediacy helps to promote this and give film its sense of narcissism by allowing the viewer to look into what is essentially a "mirror". But given a script or some other choreographed element and the film loses that immediacy and makes the viewer consider what may have occurred before. The confusion between immediacy and what may have been pre-recorded is what gives film its unique nature. Not so many other mediums can interact with the viewer in such a way, almost conversationally. Krauss cites the play on such slight inconsistencies with real time through works like Boomerang, which caused the actor and the audience to become frustrated and even distracted by the audio never achieving full synchronization. Again, video functions very differently from other mediums in its ability to not only activate, but involve the viewer's psychological state. The popularity of film in art today is cited by Krauss as originating from its ability to disseminate through mass media quickly and efficiently; a false sense of verification through art. This explores the most immediate influence of narcissism in video art, and is remarkably what I chose to focus on in my own group's film of the five obstructions! This article was fantastic for exploring the human psyche in connection to video art and why it has always been deeply embedded in narcissism -not just in today's youtube era.

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