R.S.Prasanna's Art

I had a chance to revisit a short that I was introduced to through this site . The film maker writes here and his films are available here. I've seen most of the films now, but the first one I saw, "Art", remains my favorite. And not just because the soundtrack features "Lemon Tree" from Fool's Garden.
The first time I saw it, all I could see was a diatribe on critics. I had just seen Shyamalan's Lady in the Water and I guess Bob Balaban's Harry Farber was still fresh in my mind. I certainly enjoyed the humor because I'm not the conscientious type and love unintentional sexual innuendo as a source of humor ("I like using my head" hah!). And the parting shot dialog had me in splits as well. But in that initial viewing, my compromised propositional attitude and only allowed me to see the viewer's acting like they were the cat's whiskers only to have their opinions snipped by the artist.
Recently something prompted a re-watching of the short and I noticed how its not just the "suits" who are guilty of taking themselves too seriously. Since we as viewers are looking at the events unfold from the point of view of the art the audience is the piece of art. And the critic's self-seriousness is a source of amusement. But when the "painter" himself says "It's a masterpiece" it is hard not to look at him with the same condescension I had till now reserved for the critics, creating some sort of inverse-Pygmalion relationship. By the same token other people in the audience could be flattered or embarrassed lending multiple interpretations and an interactive viewing experience, if only at a thought level rather than at an experiential level. It is funny that by hanging up a window (of sorts) Prasanna has also managed to hang up a mirror (of sorts) in a short span of time and all in one shot.