a point of no return

The other day while reading Walter Benjamin I came across this phrase:

We are bored when we don’t know what we are waiting for. That we do know, or think we know, is nearly always the expression of our superficiality or inattention. Boredom is the threshold of great deeds –Now it would be important to know: What is the dialectical antithesis to boredom?

This made me think immediately on Tu m’ (1918), the last painting by Marcel Duchamp (French / American, 1918 – 1968), one of the biggest icons to emerge from the Dadaist / Surrealist movement:

Tu m’; image taken from the Yale art gallery

The title has been said to be a shortening of the French “tu m’ennuies” or the more vulgar “tu m’emmerdes"; usually translated as “you bore me" (though other possibilities have been suggested too). This title may well express his feelings towards painting; an idea strengthened by the fact that this was his last work.

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