19 pages • 38 minutes read
The Conundrum of the Workshops
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Themes
Tradition Versus Innovation
“The Conundrum of the Workshops” is an adaptation of an earlier Kipling poem, “New Lamps for Old” (1889), which reflects critically on humankind’s never-ending search for something new to replace and improve the old. In that poem, Kipling argues that excessive desire for change and novelty often leads to disappointment and makes one susceptible to deception by those who promise improvement. This attitude is characteristic of Kipling’s conservative frame of mind, including a cautious and skeptical approach to intellectual and artistic trends that advertise themselves as innovative and dismissive of traditional ways and values. Kipling’s traditionalist bent is reflected in his consistent use of Biblical references, in “The Conundrum” and elsewhere, as well as the poem’s implication that no new ideas will bring us any closer to answering the question “What is Art?”. Kipling is not interested in offering a new answer to that question but in affirming the tradition of human creative expression even as that question remains unanswerable.
Creation Versus Criticism
The poem’s key question—”Is it Art?”—should be understood broadly as referring to any form of creative expression, whether it be a sketch (Stanzas 1-2), a tower (Stanza 3), an ark (Stanza 4), or indeed the entirety of a person’s life (Stanza 5). In opposition to this essential human need to create is the action of criticism, whether evaluative (Is this worthy of being called Art?) or interpretative (What is the purpose of this? What does it mean?). Kipling’s poem suggests that criticism harms rather than enhances the creative impulse. That dilemma has accompanied artistic creation for centuries. Some have argued that a critical look at art is necessary to distinguish between groundbreaking and derivative art. Others have considered the act of criticism as a form of creation, Oscar Wilde among them. There are varied ways of understanding the connection between art and criticism, but the two activities are in a dynamic bond with each other, both oppositional and complementary.
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By Rudyard Kipling
