In his journal entry for September 28, 1853, Delacroix discusses mediocrity in society and how it always fights to squash greatness in artistic talent.
Delacroix’s entry reads:
“…We do not realize the extent to which mediocrity abounds. Lefuel, Baltard, * such men with great positions in the arts, the government and the army – in fact in every profession. People like these are everywhere blocking the machinery which men of talent have set in motion. The best men are naturally innovators. They arrive to find stupidity and mediocrity in control and apparent in everything that is being done. The first impulse of the better men is to freeform, to try new methods, so as to break away from so much sameness and futility. But if they finally succeed in gaining the upper hand over routine methods, they in their turn have to deal with the incompetents, men who seem to take pride in carrying their natural stupidity to the utmost limits and spoil everything they handle. ....”
* note: Architect Baltard restored the gothic church Saint-Germain-des-Pres.
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This discussion reminds me of Objectivist Ayn Rand’s philosophy in “The Fountainhead.” In the novel, an idealistic architect named Howard Roark prefers to struggle in obscurity rather than compromise his artistic integrity and his personal vision by lowering his standards to those of the prevailing tastes. He waits.. and waits...and waits for calls from customers.
His nemesis, Ellsworth Toohey, newspaper criticewspaper, is a socialist who embraces mediocrity. If mediocrity can win over artistic expression and personal freedom, individualism will lose and collectivism will ultimately prevail. Supposedly Toohey himself is a failed artist. His famous quote is: "Don’t set out to raze all shrines – you’ll frighten men. Enshrine mediocrity, and the shrines are razed." Toohey uses his position at the paper to both discredit Roark and keep him from winning commissions.
I rented “The Fountainhead” (1949) from Netflix. It’s unforgettable.
