Lady Gaga as Polymathic Artist

We know too well that Lady Gaga is sometimes not well liked — Camille Paglia scolded her nattering vagina, for example. In some cases, people just are outright mean to her — calling in to question whether or not she has the genitalia of a man or a woman, as though that has any influence on the quality or beauty of the artwork she creates.

We have seen as Lady Gaga has gotten upset with retailer Target over their less than gay friendly contributions to political organizations. As of this writing I am not sure if my vinyl pre-order of her new album will be honored or if I will get my money refunded. She was apparently so disgusted with their policies that she cancelled an exclusive Target version of the album — whether or not this means that all versions of the album will be cancelled is another matter entirely.

It is unquestionable that she is a fine artist — from the singles that she has recorded to the videos that accompany them, some of them stretching out into short films that are pieces of art unto themselves. Even the physical music can be seen as its own kind of art work — I cherish the seven inch picture discs that I got — a handful of tiny masterpieces that serve both to show two kinds of beauty — the visual and the audio. To me it is certainly an improvement over a digital music file.

Now we can take all that and add magazine columnist to the mix. Beginning next month, we can look forward to a monthly column from Lady Gaga in V magazine covering topics about art and fashion. I had honestly not even heard of V magazine prior to this announcement and I am willing to bet that this is the case for quite a number of Lady Gaga fans.

A little part of me has to wonder if she may be spreading herself too thin by taking on yet another project but I think the answer to that will end up being a resounding NO. She has shown that she can take on numerous projects at once and handle them with grace, elegance, and mastery.

I am also excited that she is already involving the fans in the creating of this column. The magazine is soliciting drawings and other depictions of Lady Gaga looking her very best — the winner will get their art in the magazine as substitute for the normal headshot — if I could draw at all, I would certainly enter. Looking forward to this magazine already!