Then gradually, as Impressionism took hold of the art world, portraits started to become more ‘abstract,’ meaning than an artist producing a portrait did not necessarily have to achieve photorealistic pictures, as cameras could then do that. This also made portraits more interesting in a way, as it was more of a depiction of someone rather than an exact copy. In this way, you can then have more than one portrait of yourself, friends and family, as each one is an different interpretation of what the artists see and people do put stock into what comes out of an artists subconscious as they paint and this is a real factor.
So the modern approach to art dramatically changed at that point and it is still going on now. Not too long ago, maybe a few decades, you still needed to show some artistic skills to win a place at art school. Now however, you don’t need to so much and the common opinion of art school teachers is that it does not matter who or how a painting or sculpture was made, as long as it has a meaning. It has long been a comment when viewing a piece of art to think or say, ‘hmm what is the artist trying to say here.’ But why does everything have to have a meaning? Art used to mean ‘not having a function other than itself,’ or the like.
Again to compare art to music, most songs do have a meaning and the words are written with a meaning or message in mind. But does that mean that music without a meaning is not music, or not good music? Classical music has no words and each person derives their own meaning, or feeling from a piece and I feel that is now rare in art and modern life. As so many pieces of art, songs and even meals in a restaurant come with too much explanation. I recently had a meal where as the waiter served each course, it came with a 20 second explanation of the ingredients and how it was prepared: I thought I was in cookery programme rather than a restaurant. It’s great that we as people are looking for more of a sense of meaning in our lives and the world, but I miss being presented with a piece of art, music or even meal and being allowed to just enjoy experiencing it for myself and coming to my own conclusions about it.
Maybe this ‘modern’ approach to art is due to how art is taught now. There has been recent criticism that Art History is being taught very differently to how it was traditionally. Now there is not so much focus on the students doing their own research for themselves, but being told what is now ‘acceptable’ historical art, rather than doing gallery and museum visits to find out for themselves. But just as with music, now that a computer can generate any sound you want, thus negating the need to take the time and effort to learn how to play an instrument, the same is happening in art. For as it is now more and more acceptable to produce more and more abstract or conceptual art, which can be pretty much anything you can do or want it to be: the amount of people producing realistic art is decreasing: just as guitars bands are now almost extinct. Thanks goodness the likes of the Rolling Stones and Oasis are still going.
I regularly visit galleries and look online at new artists exhibitions etc and the new modern digital world is effecting what art is available and therefore what sells. As a lot of artwork is just logos, cartoon characters, memes, slogans, etc, with a focus just on the now - the present, rather than the past of the future. I just wonder how this art will date or be viewed by the buyers in years to come. We do now have a throw-away culture, so many aspects of the current art world reflects that. But these are not cheap pieces of art - £2,000 to £10,000 in high street galleries and it seems that these are more fashion statements, i.e that the collector is on trend and current, rather than buying a piece because they actually really like it and will do for years to come. As a particular colour of wall paint becomes fashionable, everyone redecorates their houses accordingly and then only a few years later it changes again and then so does the art.. I am not saying that we should go back to the times when a lot people had the same Constable pictures or even three flying ducks on their walls, for those that remember them, but now they are all on the same theme, rather than people choosing to have their own imagination and be individualistic.
Richard Embrey @richardembreyart
105
LIVE24-SEVEN.COM
ENTERTAINMENT ART GUIDE
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