CONFORMISM VERSUS NON-CONFORMISM AS A QUEST FOR THE GENUINE IN ART IN GEORGE BOWERING’S “THE HAYFIELD”
CONFORMISM VERSUS NON-CONFORMISM AS A QUEST FOR THE GENUINE IN ART IN GEORGE BOWERING’S “THE HAYFIELD”

Summary/Abstract: Conformism versus non-conformism as a quest for the genuine in art in George Bowering’s “The Hayfield”. Gordon Featherall, the art historian protagonist of Canadian writer George Bowering’s short story, “The Hayfield” aspires to become a genuine painter through his knowledge of art. Contemplating literary and pictorial aesthetics of the twentieth century and having studied the oeuvre of famous literary figures and painters, he makes an attempt at painting his subject, the hayfield. Will he succeed in his endeavors to achieve something genuine? Building on a detailed analysis of the protagonist’s painting-, and literature-related remarks, the paper aims at exploring the connection between conformism/ non-conformism in art and genuine artwork.

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