Every now and then people ask me to write about something in specific. My latest request comes from my father and is on the subject of art and who really reaps the benefits from the artist's hard labour. (Money, fame, prestige, status, et cetera.)
Does an artist have to be poor, suffering, starving, complicated, difficult, myopic, or perhaps, cut off an ear, to be considered a real artist? Or maybe even die, to become recognised and validated as a "true" artist?
Perhaps a definition of art is a good place to begin: "art is an outer expression of an inner experience." This may be expressed thru architecture, sculpture, music, writing, painting, dance, installation, film, et cetera.
Art can be viewed as a creative human skill, as a communication of the self and the world using a myriad of different expressions to do so.
Some quotes: "
"Art is not, as the meta physicians say, the manifestation of some mysterious idea of beauty or God; it is not, as the aesthetical physiologists say, a game in which man lets off his excess of stored-up energy; it is not the expression of man’s emotions by external signs; it is not the production of pleasing objects; and, above all, it is not pleasure; but it is a means of union among men, joining them together in the same feelings, and indispensable for the life and progress toward well-being of individuals and of humanity." (Leo Tolstoy)
"Above all, artists must not be only in art galleries or museums — they must be present in all possible activities. The artist must be the sponsor of thought in whatever endeavour people take on, at every level." (Michelangelo Pistoletto)
How important are artists to society?
Can we do without them? Some may say: "no problem", others may say: "meh, artists are such tricky creatures, but perhaps some of them may be good to keep?" Some of us, on the other hand, may consider artists to be offering: Inspiration, helping us to view humanity through many different perspectives, allowing us to have moments of transcending the physical and experience the meta-physical, to offer metaphors for the human experience, to help us connect with our inner experiences, and to record how each new generation views life and living it.
In my view, there is a paradox at work in regards to art. Being an artist is often regarded as not doing a "real" job, yet millions of dollars are spent in the pursuit of acquiring "gold plated" (=the "brand" must seem to the consumer more than the thing itself) works. Van Gogh died a poor man, yet today his works are sold for six figures. Mozart was buried a pauper in a mass grave, yet his music is often performed in highly prestigious spaces (and at times for hundreds of dollars a ticket).
There are numerous examples of artists who dedicated their lives to their artistic expression without much recognition, validation or monetary rewards. There still are.
How is it that to be an artist can be viewed as not being a "real" job yet at the same time many are willing to spend "real" money on acquiring items made by an artist? (Gold-plated artists usually)
What is the "real" value of a first edition "Superman" comic book, a sculpture by Alberto Giacometti, a painting by Vincent Van Gogh, an original hand written piece of sheet music written by Ludwig Van Beethoven, a first hand drawn draft by Frank Lloyd Wright, a hand written original script by Shakespeare, an original reel of "To Kill a Mockingbird" and so on?
For many of us, perhaps art seems to be of little consequence, especially compared to science, the economy, environmental issues, manufacturing, the medical areas, politics, and so on, however, if we dig a little deeper, we may find that often some form of "artistic" expression has been used to concretize ideas. Graphs, diagrams, sketches, drawings, photos, models, writers, lyricists, musicians, make-up artists, special effects artists, conceptual artists, etc. are often used for such purposes.
What would the advertising business be without artists, and is not advertising potentially one of the most powerful tools for the promotion of consumerism?
And consumerism, is that not one of the cornerstones of most societies today?
Thing is, to buy a Van Gogh painting will today cost you millions of dollars, to buy one of mine, a few hundreds. But when Van Gogh was alive, nobody was really interested in buying any of his paintings, so his life was one of poverty, suffering and unpaid hard work. His work was not viewed as a "good" investment, it was just pigments on a canvas, however, today, he is recognised as one of the greatest painters who ever lived and a very (!) good investment.... What he painted stays the same, but how it is assessed, has changed.
Whether we think of it in these terms or not, may I suggest that art in the form of one expression or another, touches most of us everyday be it thru watching television, going to a movie theatre, listening to music on an iPod/iThingy and or radio, reading the comics in a news paper, reading the newspaper, surfing the net, writing emails, taking photos with the cell/mobile phone, downloading, playing video games, reading a book, and so on. Behind all those, someone used his/her imagination (artistic expression) and concretized it so that we can now all enjoy it.
Perhaps it is time to start calling being an artist...a real job? After all, when one thinks of it, are not most eras defined by its art as well as its other human endeavours?
"We can introspect on the role of art in our own lives and on how much we feel we need it.......... Art-and indeed all the traditional forms of art, including story-telling, poetry and song; music and dance; drawing and sculpture-exist in every human culture. And there is economic evidence, too: the amount of money people spend to acquire and experience art."
(Ayn Rand)
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