Thursday, April 25, 2013

Observations and musings on art and culture

Recently a new business emerged that offered customers the opportunity to drink wine while making a painting. ( I don't know if this has anything to do with stereotypes about painters or not.) But the photo in the newspaper showed about 20 happy faces proud of the paintings they made. All of the paintings they held up for the camera looked essentially alike.

I don't go to openings so much anymore. It's hard to see and enjoy the work, and I don't have the wardrobe to be noticed. But I do think they are important. Still, go into the CAC or other galleries during regular business hours and you are one of at most a handful of people. What does this mean?

The short time I have been connected to V&V in Northside, with its energy and amazing range of images and objects produced by the clients, has generated many questions about art. I just don't know yet what those questions are.

It seems to me that charity auctions of artwork have reached epidemic proportions. Artists struggle to make a living while they are regularly asked to donate works of art for no dollar return. And they do it. Do businesses struggling to survive do the same?

What happens if you ask the artists you know this question: What's more important, that you be seen or your art be seen?

Recently, someone made a comment about Andy Warhol which started me thinking. For me, his art is not the thing (most of it seems pretty mediocre). Its his insight about popular culture and mass media and its impact on serious art that rings true.

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