Artistic Arrogance

After a recent comment on my last blog, I decided to dabble with “digital art “for a couple of hours today.

The reason behind this is that apparently digital artists are often “made to feel inferior by their painting peers.” Initially when I read this, I was somewhat taken aback, but I should not have been. This sort of artistic arrogance has been around forever. Michelangelo of High Renaissance fame, regarded sculpture as the most technically challenging and intellectual artistic practice whereas Leonardo is said to have mentioned that sculptors were akin to bakers, being dirty and covered in dust.

Impressionism, recognized as a major frontier in art history and the threshold of the modern art movement, was initially a label given to these masters of the new movement, in insult!

Claude Monet, Pierre Auguste Renoir, and Edgar Degas are now perhaps the most recognized names in art, yet they were ridiculed and insulted when they first began. Critics described their work as highly unsuitable for the public...the result of mental derangement.

Cubism received its name from the harsh insults art critics lashed out with against the style upon its first exhibition in Paris about 1910, one of the founders of the movement being Picasso.

Even today artists who use oils as a medium frown upon those who chose acrylic or watercolours and traditionally oil paintings are priced at a higher price than any other medium, which cannot really be justified in material costs because good quality acrylics will set you back financially as much as oils paints will and believe me, you will fall on your back at the price of 1^st class pastels.

Digital art is like any other art. It just is created using different tools than the more traditional arts. Art is not about the tools used to create it. It is about the vision, message, or emotion of the artist. Photography is a medium through which artist's may create art. Likewise, a computer is just a medium or tool through which an artist can express his/her vision of line, form, colour, composition and rhythm.

Digital Photography The artist uses a digital or conventional camera. The photographs are digitized and translated to the computer environment where the artist uses image editing and special effects software to perform darkroom type manipulations.

Photopainting This combines the disciplines of photography and painting. The artist uses image editing and paint software to go beyond dark room techniques to add further expression to the image.

Digital Collage This is a technique of combining many images from varying sources into one image. This is most commonly achieved by the use of layering techniques in image editing and paint software. The artist may also use images from x-rays or radar to produce images that the eye does not normally see, which expands the realm of human perception.

Integrated Digital Art This is the "mixed media" of the digital art world. Artists combine any number of the techniques to achieve unique results. The digital environment is much less restricted than conventional mediums in this type of integration and manipulation.

Digital Painting 2D: The artist creates 2D images totally in the computer virtual environment with the use of painting tools that emulate natural media styles. Sometimes referred to as "Natural Media".

3D: The artist uses 3D modelling and rendering software to essentially sculpt in virtual space. This method also makes use of all of the other methods.

Vector Drawing- The artist uses vector drawing software and creates the image totally in the virtual environment. This makes use of shapes which are outlined and can be filled with various colours and patterns. This tends to produce a harder edged or graphic look.

Algorithmic/Fractals This is art produced exclusively by mathematical manipulations. This is the so-called "computer generated" art. The art here lies in the invention of the mathematical formulas themselves and the way the programs are written to take advantage of the display capabilities of the hardware. The art also lies in the creative intentions and subsequent selections of the artist/mathematician.

Digital artists are repeatedly told “anyone can churn out that crap”. I challenge that statement. Anyone can paint and “churn out crap” but a distinction will be clearly visible between those who understand their tools, who have imagination, who work inspired, and those who don’t!

Give credit where due, no matter what genre the art. Show some respect for the vision, message, or emotion of the artist.

Airconditioner syndrome !

This evening I was forwarded a letter, which was written in response to an news letter to which I subscribe on the market and marketing, which pertained to art.

The writer of the letter holds the belief that artists who do not sell their art well only have themselves to blame !

He calls the syndrome we are purported to suffer from the “airconditioner syndrome”, which in essence is similar to low self esteem and lack of self worth.

Basically he explains this syndrome as such: An air conditioner is set to keep a room’s temperature at a comfortable level. When the temperature in the room goes above or below that level, the air conditioner kicks in and, by pouring forth hot or cold air, brings the temperature of the room to comfort level again.

Subconsciously, the ‘air conditioner’ settings in that person’s mind sabotages the will power to change, and he blames circumstances and other people for the failure. However, deep in his subconscious mind, he is comfortable because, remaining unattractive to the opposite sex, there will be no rejection. We all suffer from the air conditioner syndrome in one form or another, but artists seem to do it a lot.

The author of the letter then goes on to relate the following story

Walking through Hyde Park shopping centre a while ago, I found an exhibition of miniature paintings.

Most were beautiful, delicate, even sensitive. Some had little gold, red or blue bows on the side to indicate that they were competition winners. The prices for these pieces varied from R300 to R1800. Hyde Park shopping centre accommodates some of the most expensive shops in South Africa. The people who regularly shop there are seriously wealthy. They want, deserve and can afford the best. These miniatures were in that category. I asked the lady in charge of the collection if she had any idea how long it took an artist to produce such an exquisite piece. “About 4 hours” was her reply. Ignoring the cost of the materials and frame, (which is a stupid thing to do) that works out to R450 per hour? My garage mechanic, with standard 8 education, who changes the spark plugs and oil, charges more than that! The artist, who asked R300 for his painting, is obviously happy to earn less than a… (You work it out)

Most of those paintings remained unsold. Why? Because they were too CHEAP. No millionaire wants to put cheap paintings in his house or office. They don’t relate to cheap. I bet the artists believed that the paintings were unsold because they were too expensive.

Our intrepid writer has an easy solution for us !

He recommends we go cold calling on companies and businesses as he believes the largest market for art purchases lies in the corporate world. Every office or reception area needs art , right? If as an artist , you have an adversity to cold calling , simply get a gallery to represent you and market your work for you . If however , you do not have the business acumen to charge a good profit for your time and creativity , you are not entitled to call yourself an artist. According to this knowledgeable gentleman, you are merely what is known as an amdab. (Amateur dabbler) but don’t feel alone dear folk, you are in good company ! Van Gogh, was a complete failure as an artist, (He, probably like you, was a gifted amdab)

The final tip for truly successful sales, is to substantially increase the prices you ask for your art ! Now, please put your prices up, (A lot!) because you are ruining the market for yourself. You are competing with the cheap stuff churned out of Chinese art factories daily by the million. True artists start marketing and selling their own works. If you are proud of your paintings you will charge good prices. If you are ashamed of yourself as an artist, you will charge low prices. Your art does not reflect your self worth, the price you charge for it does.

An interesting topic for discussion no doubt , but I personally feel that people who have no knowledge of or no insight into the art market , should reserve such comment.

None of the artists I know have a lack of belief in themselves and all of them go to great efforts to market both themselves and their work.
Furthermore, it has been my experience that the people with "big money", are the people who part with it least readily and those that do part with their money for art will only do so if the work is an investment or by a well known artist that has a reputation for producing work of good quality.

I also feel it is totally unrealistic to price art according to the hours the piece took to paint. From a personal aspect, often my best works are painted in the least time and I certainly would never be bold enough to disclose the length of time it took me to create the work, lest the client
figured out that I was charging three times as much per hour as any advocate in the Shabir Shaik trial !
Of course one also has to consider the experience of the artist, the length of time they have been painting, previous exhibitions or accolades etc etc , all taken into account during the valuation or appraisal of art.

As a collector of art, I would never pay thousands for a work by an unknown artist. That's just the way it works, whether I am shopping in Hyde Park or not. We all have to walk before we run and lower prices to begin with certainly have very little or nothing to do with being ashamed of one's work !

Commodity or art

I have a poster ( by Fred Babb) in my studio on which is written “Good art won’t match your sofa”, which I use as a daily reminder not to be lured into the trap of mass producing work that I have little desire or no inspiration to produce.

There's commodity (decorative) and there's art. Art does things that are unexpected, and goes places that are sometimes uncomfortable. And you will seldom find these art pieces blending into the decor. Decorative art generally becomes part of the room. Real art makes a statement. It will stand out and demand attention and whether it simply keeps drawing the eye to it or creates a topic for discussion, a truly inspired work painted passionately, will very rarely be passed over without at least a second glance.

I recently read a comment in which a woman who worked in a framing and print shop was frequently requested to find something that “matched”. On an occasion someone required a piece for the bottom of their stairs. At the end of the hall at the top of the stairs there was a room, and if you were at the top of the stairs and the door was open, you could see that the drapes were green, therefore the art had to match the drapes in the room on a different floor all the way on the other side of the house.

A number of times I have been requested to reproduce a painting using different colours. Blue nudes for instance, because the bedroom was blue and the neutral colours I used would not blend.

Worse still were the clients who would find pictures they liked in print catalogues and request a reproduction, possibly introducing the colours that were on their curtain fabric or walls.

Of course conventions and classic inferences would be an easy set of tools to use to create our work and produce crap very easily. They allow us to paint without thinking, without feeling and without putting anything of ourselves into the crap. When we do that, we are making a product, a commodity – it’s not art!

People use these tools as a way to avoid work, to avoid thinking, to avoid having to find those uncomfortable places where things don't match the sofa.

Many people would rather safely purchase matching commodities than a work of art which forces them explore what's within themselves.

A truly valued audience would be the one looking for artists who will do the work necessary to find unexplored passageways, which will look into their own souls and dredge up things that they themselves are afraid to look at, who will tell the truth, no matter how painful.

Not just string a bunch of ready-made riffs together, top it off with a few really fast scales, and call it a solo.

Fads , fashions and tired art

I have often found myself considering the variety of subject matter that I paint and the vast differences between my almost monochrome nude studies and colour saturated florals and landscape paintings, and indeed , wondering if these differences in styles would be to my advantage or to my detriment in the commercial art world.

The bottom line is , I have never been , nor ever will be a follower of fashion. As in my dress, my hobbies , my likes and dislikes I prefer to remain an individual and I dress and paint as I feel inspired. I cannot therefore be labeled with a specific "style".

A sad trend seems to exist amongst many artists in that they find a successful recipe and stick with it year after year , seldom producing anything new or exciting or for that matter extending themselves beyond that with which they are comfortable painting .

Many artists who I exhibited with ten years ago are still copying themselves and new artists that surface seldom have anything original to offer , their work often similar to fellow artists whose works sell well.

Of course this is very taboo to mention in many galleries or amongst the dealers punting the art and the trend is exacerbated by a largely uneducated public who are swayed into believing that in purchasing these tired and unoriginal works of art,they are making a sound financial investment.

Pathetically , the galleries, whether directly or indirectly , encourage artists to persevere in this rape and pillage of other artists original ideas.

If a subject matter sells well , the painting pays for it's place on the wall and to hell with the fact that it is blatantly evident somebody else's style has been copied.

Some years ago, as an emerging artist, I was approached by an art dealer , who enquired as to my ability to copy or paint similar pieces to one of the then top selling artists. He was well aware of the demand for her work and aside from being able to acquire similar paintings at a reduced price from a relatively new artist , he knew that they were popular amongst the public and he would make quick money from the art.

Believe me , the offer was tempting considering the financial gain but prostitution has never been my ambition. I noticed however , that others are more accommodating to art pimps and the landscape paintings to which I refer have been reproduced by many more than just one artist.

Another very unfortunate trend is "fashionable art", where a painting is seldom representation of an artists own experience , but a rehash of something that sells well and has been found popular by the masses .

Lack of passion in this art is evident. Lack of inspiration , lack of imagination , lack of originality !

Endless renditions of naive little rural scenes, poplar trees and district six, not to mention , more recently the Nguni cow , surely must be enough to bore the crap out of anybody who is a regular visitor to art galleries ?