While watching this show I became a bit disheartened at how art was treated like a business venture. Instead of simply giving the man the tools in which to create his pieces, he was also given a makeover and taught how to properly speak about art. In this way, it was as though no one would take his pieces seriously unless he appeared to be a fresh new artist. This in itself is saddening, as it completely discriminates against many of the artists out there without the money to dress in such a fashion (or to those who simply do not wish to). Giving him a vocabulary and a new look certainly heightened his chances of being taken seriously, but it is frustrating that personal appearance would play such a strong role.
It was also interesting to me that the art critic recognized his amateur style. In my opinion, his pieces had greater depth than many of those created by artists whose pieces sell for millions. So much is subjective in the art world that it is difficult to sort through what is truly valuable. This was further exemplified by the meeting held to discuss his pieces. While a couple people felt his pieces were deep and full of meaning, others felt that it was only the history behind the works that made this so.
All in all, I truly don’t know if he will be successful in becoming a reputable artist. To be honest, I will be fairly disappointed if he is. So many artists hold a passion for their creations and do not make it, and for someone to come into the scene, fake his way through, and be successful would seem unjust. So much in the art world is subjective, and his success would only prove the fickle nature of critics.
I agree that it's somewhat disheartening that the makeover made him the artist in a way. Although I can definitely understand how putting him in costume helps him tap into what may already have been there--like the wallflower who's the life of the party on Halloween.
ReplyDeleteI think your point about people without money not being able to afford a makeover or the ability to become educated about art is a really good one. It kind of goes back to the discussion we had in class a little while ago about how art is such a staple of upper-class society. The possibility of someone with real talent not making it in the art world, simply because they don't look the part or don't have the art theory vocabulary, is like a nod to the notion that only upper-class people can "truly" appreciate or create art--which is complete crap.
ReplyDeleteGood point, Rachelle: "While watching this show I became a bit disheartened at how art was treated like a business venture." - there is something Kinkadean about this show...
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