It seems like a lot of people get freaked out by art because of the way that they’re introduced to it. Unfortunately, like most things in the world, the people who suck the most at it tend to be the most vocal about it. As a result, people get turned off from it before they even begin to explore what art can offer because they assume it's for people who wear ponchos and talk in the third person.
Think of the worst art nerds you had in your high school. The people who wore artitude on their sleeve like it was their job. It gets even worse in University, when people use artsiness as their identity or more specifically as a way to get laid. On top of generally being terrible artists these people tend to want to keep art as something really exclusive. In one case I even know a super talented guy who left art school because he couldn’t handle all the art-dork ego from the people in his class.
It just seems to me like there’s so many exciting and amazing things happening in art; they just aren’t necessarily art per se. Take a look in the worlds of skateboarding, graffiti, design, fashion and music (real music, preferably made by sweaty twenty-somethings with instruments tuned way too loud). There’s still enough frustrated and creative people out there doing great things without maybe realizing how cool what they’re doing really is. Maybe it’s the sold out advertising guy in me, but looking at a really amazing cd layout can be just as inspiring and cool as a great painting.
This isn’t meant to paint (pun intended) traditional art and artists as pretentious or anything, it’s just too bad that often times people don’t see things as art unless it’s done on canvas or with a charcoal pencil. I blame a school system full of jaded old art teachers.
Thoughts?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
3 comments:
I think you're an idiot and I'm still not putting comments on my blog.
I think there are assholes in all professions, it's something everyone in every industry must deal with. But I know what you mean about all the jerks that come out of art school. I probably know more art school dropouts that became successful artists than I do art school graduates that became successful artists. I had four different a art history prof's at Western, and I only liked one of them, and don't get me started on the TA's. There's the old addage my Dad has told me time and time again (and I apologize for it in advance): Those who cannot do, teach.
That being said, I think there is a movement toward greater accessibility of art for the masses (due in part to the economy as most buyers have run for the hills).
Just look at the past 10 years, art has become far more accessible to young people, through things like skateboarding, music, clothes, magazines, etc... Skateboarding alone has produced a shitload of popular, and successful, artists I just think most people don't realize it. When I sucked at skating, I would buy my board based more on what graphic was on it rather than feel/size.
Even in the late 70's/early 80's with the grafitti influence. You had guys like Basquiat, Kenny Scharff, and Keith Haring attending art school by day, and dabbling in grafitti/street art at night. They were part of a scene, which I think is not dissimilar to the movement going on right now (the "low-brow art movement" or the "DIY culture" as some have labeled it).
I don't really know what I was getting at as I went off on a tangent.
Hey man, that's what blogs are for. Get people going on tangents and saying something. I agree as well. It's just unfortunate sometimes that people discount art as a whole because the first people they meet who are into it are darshes.
Your comment brings up a good point. I wonder how many people get into art through art itself and how many get into it via skateboarding, graffiti, design or some other means. I know I would definitely fall into the second category.
Maybe the concept of "art" independent of all these scenes is a tad antiquated.
Nelly Montgomery ruined art for me when I was in grade 6. At this point I define art as throwing markers at the blackboard when your teacher is turned around.
Post a Comment