For those of you who know me (Kris), you know that I love to spend my Sundays working on the New York Times Sunday crossword puzzle. So what does that have to do with the big art vs. craft debate and Greta Gerwig? Let me explain.
The Art of the NYT Times Crossword Puzzle
Well, I just recently bought a book of NYT Sunday crossword puzzles. In the foreword, Will Shortz, the editor, brought up the question of whether these puzzles were craft or art. WOW, I thought. Even my fellow crossword peeps debate this question. So, what does Shortz think?
Every Sunday NYT crossword today has a theme. [. . .] Most of the regular Times puzzle contributors these days have distinctive voices. [. . .] Their humor, wit, ways with words, and areas of knowledge are all different. As a result, they’ll entertain and test you in different ways, too. To me, this is the definition of art.
The Art of Greta Gerwig
Greta Gerwig is just another Wow. A fellow Sacramentan, she has reminded us that women can write, direct, speak in their own voices, and be worthy of the big screen. When I first saw Gerwig’s version of Little Women, I sat in awe of the film, especially of the last few scenes of the movie. Jo March goes about writing her great American novel and then watches as the book is produced. In just these two scenes, Gerwig pays homage to the craft of writing, the actual sit down and organize, edit, and rearranging that goes into the art that is the novel. And then there is the scene where Jo watches the bookbinder put her novel together. No words are necessary to explain how the craft of bookbinding is turned into art. Gerwig’s visual argument that craft is art and art cannot be accomplished without craft brings tears to my eyes every time I watch the movie. Just take a look and tell me you don’t think Gerwig has finally ended this argument once and for all!