Is art important? Is it necessary. There are countless arguments on both sides of these questions.
Of course in my world it is excessively important.
Art was once used as a way to document events and people before the countless number of selfies came into play. It once made people look and pay attention to what they were seeing. I feel like this may not be the case any more.
Artists have proven that art can be anything. Take Tracey Emins 'Unmade bed' for example. Whether you like it or not (and believe me, I don't), that is classed as art. Don't take my word for it, you might like it, here's the link to see for yourself and come to your own conclusion; Tracey Emin My Bed
We are bombarded everyday with visuals in advertising, photos our friends have taken, movies, tv series, plays, dance, and the list goes on and on. We are so over saturated with visuals every single day that it's hard to distinguish a piece of art from everything else.
You can see why a gallery in London thought it would be a great idea to display 'invisible' art. Preposterous I know, but there it is. Here's a link to the article about the exhibition, people actually paid money to see it!; Invisible Art
In another gallery, viewers started taking photos of reading glasses accidentally left behind by someone visiting the gallery. Really? Glasses on the floor is art and people are interested in it or just think they should be interested in it because it's in a gallery?; Reading Glasses
Pardon the pun but, where do we draw the line?
What does it all mean Basil?
Does this tell us that everything is art or that we can no longer distinguish what true art is? As an artist, where do I fit in to all of this?
All forms of art were once considered outrageous, shocking or rebellious and critics would argue that because we are talking or thinking about it, that makes it essential and necessary.
While I agree with parts of that, these types of exhibitions are usually there to invoke negative emotions; anger and outrage, intimidation, insecurity, irritation, disgust, guilt or fear. However, the invisible exhibition was there to engage the audiences imagination. Seems a little lazy on the artists side don't you think? Or do I just not get it?
I don't agree with creating art simply to provoke someone, don't we get enough of that in our everyday lives? Could negative emotions in art eventually lead to physical confrontations being classed as art? Think about it, where is this going? The lines start to get fuzzy.
Here's an example of what was considered outrageous in the 1800s. Of Courbet's 'The Burial of Ornans' in the 1850's; "The painting was considered outrageous because Courbet did not portray the grand personages usually found in history paintings, but depicted instead the country folk". In this day and age, you wonder why that would be such a big deal, but imagine if Courbet hadn't made that first bold step?
As for myself, I know what I enjoy viewing and creating and I want to spread that joy far and wide. I love creating visual pieces that make you look again. Artwork with layers that can be seen when you pay attention to it. Bright, bold, colourful and uplifting images. There may be no underlying subtle message to them but they might make you recall the beauty in your life and inspire a whole new appreciation for the world around us. I think the world could use a little more positivity and I wish the art that got the attention was like that.
I'm in love with Street Art
Art credit; Dasxa in Isola, Milan, created on environment day.
The art of today that I am truly excited about is all the Street Art going on globally. It's amazing! It's inclusive, anyone can get in on it, understand it, admire and enjoy it, university degree or not, it opens up so many possibilities.
These artists should be seen as the artists of our time. Their pieces are often stunning, beautiful and of extremely high quality. They are often political, thought provoking or summarize a statement reflecting humanities current events or ideas, and rarely are they negative. This type of art, as I see it, is smart art. You don't need to read an essay or dive into someone's personal life to make a connection to a piece.
These artists are not going for shock factor, their raw talent is what draws your eye, and in my opinion, that is true art.
I'm a follower of many street art pages on Facebook. They fill my day with truly enjoyable images, I suggest you look a couple up!
Let's spread some positive art! Feel free to share your favourite street art pieces in the comments below :-)