Art is Artifice

Reviewing David Seymour's new collection For Display Purposes Only, Michael Lista zeros in on an essential truth:

Poetry is performance; art is artifice. And it’s essentially entertainment. When it works, it’s not because its Romantic soul spelunking was to a record depth, or because its confessionalist moral laundering was the most Tide Fresh. It’s because its maker believes enough in what’s real to wander off and master what’s artificial. 

(Illustration by Diana McNally)