Interesting Questions. . . < ArtStar > 06/20 12:55:05

. . .if we assume that there are many talented individauls in the art world in cities and art schools all over the world, why is it then that some seem to rise above the rest in popularity, fame and fortune?

To my mind the answer lies in two or three areas;

1. Art fame is very important to be in the right place at the right time with the right kind of work.

Basquiate is a wonderful example of this, at some point in the process of promoting his work he was situated in the right moment with the right style of work.

Did Basquiats fame mean that his work was any “better” than any other artist at that time, perhaps not, but his style of work was to a degree “new” and more importantly he was the first to become recognized as the pimary arist in that style.

2. Art fame in the 20 and 21st centuary follows the cult of the new.

Unlike the previous 2000 years of art history where it was important that an artist paint, or sculpt in a style and form that was for all intents and purposes exactly like his or her master and teacher, in the 20th century the skill of an artist was determine by the ability to break existing artistic conventions, or in otherwords, . . .was it “new”.

However in the current art environment the aritst exists in an environment where every possible artistic convention or boundry has been explored, the cult of the new now becomes a re-working of some other artists previous style or discovery, “. . .oh her work is so Hopper-esque. . .”.

3. Art fame is dependent upon continous self-promotion.

There is an old saying, “….the magic does not happen unless you do the dance, but the dance does not guarentee that the magic will happen. . .”. As an artist working and living in this current environment it is important to find every possible chance to have faith in your work, and to promote your work, for if you do not, no one else will.

We live in a culture, a world-culture that is awash in an ocean of visual imagery and art, often in this environment those artists who are “sucessful” are those that are left standing after everyone else has fallen by the wayside exhausted or depressed by the struggle to survive as an artist.

I hope that this was helpful,

ArtStar

 

Deoxy.org The Onion Hail to the thief Master and thief Rense.com "Zeitgeist - The Movie" Oprah New Earth Nihilism and walking dead Hindu Spritual Writings Gorilla Solar Power   "Good art is something pleasing or disturbing, but primarily for me, art is how much a piece makes me wonder how it was done. If art does that for me it is good."   Posada, Jose Guadalupe (1851-1913) Mexican Graphic artist. His enormous output was largely devoted to political and social issues, revealing, for example the dreadful conditions in which the poor lived. From 1890 he made his studio in Mexico City and open shop fronting the street, and turned out sensational broadsheets and cheap cartoons that spread among the illiterate throughout the country. His work had the vigour and spontaneous strength of genuinely popular art with the inborn Mexican taste for the more gruesome aspects of death-one of his recurring motifs is the calavera or animated skeleton. he made a lasting impression on Orozco and Rivera, and me.