WHAT'S WRONG WITH ART?
WHAT’S WRONG WITH ART?
Technology is developing at an increasingly faster rate than anyone could have ever imagined. Just think about what we have today compared to 25 years ago. Go back much further (like I can) and the difference makes one feel like saying ‘how did we ever cope’? But we did and did pretty well, too! People are great at adapting to what resources they have.
Art is no different. The quality and variety of art materials available today are the best they’ve ever been. I’m amazed at the variety and quality of coloured pencils one can buy, both locally and on the Internet. I’ve recently started using acrylic paint pens. Wow, what a joy to work with! The quality of oil and acrylic artists’ paints have never been better as is the situation with soft and oil pastels. Tutorials abound on the Internet as are the range of art workshops that one can find locally. Aren’t we lucky!
Not everyone though is happy. The rise of AI is already having a significant (and worrying for some) impact on both the media and art world. There is anger and fear from many who believe it will control the world of art before too long. Will it?
Whether we like it or not, we are basically a conservative society, one that doesn’t like change in any form. When change does happen, such as in politics for example, reactions can be mixed to say the least! The world of art is no exception. Take the Impressionist painters whose art was heavily criticised by the establishment as being vulgar, shapeless rough sketches, with overly bright colours and visible brush strokes. This was not the way academic painting was done! Well, excuse the Impressionist artists for being different!
Attitudes for being different haven’t really changed. We’ve always done it that way so why should we change? What we know is safer than the unknown. Fear of failure runs deep.
The development and use of digital technology especially over the past 30 years has had a profound impact on art; for some anyway. I’m part of the latter group who continues to enjoy the possibilities of digital technology, not in a big way, just enough to ensure that I have control over what I create. Maybe I’m a conservative rebel!
AI has certainly arrived with great fanfare along with great fear. What will its impact on Art be? Time will tell. Artists will no doubt use it in various ways and I suspect the results will see a major shift in thinking, but is that a bad thing? Is there room for such methods in the art world?
Artists create in various ways and they all result in artworks of some kind or another. There are those who work plein-air or solely in their studios, at different times of the day and night. Others work from their own photos or use copy-free images from the Internet, while others are spontaneous or feed off their own imagination. Then there are artists who trace their subjects using various devices. This method is frowned upon by some as are artists who employ digital technology in part or all of their artwork.
We all have our own ways of ‘seeing and creating’, that’s what art should be about!
There’s nothing wrong with Art today, it’s all about our attitudes to change and innovation. Conservative thinking has no room for anything new. We can’t live in the past we must show tolerance to difference because the world we live in is changing rapidly. As long as the artist has control over their work in a least some step in its creation, new ideas and new technologies can be embraced and utilised. Don’t despair, we are in exciting times, just remember how the French Impressionists fared!
On a different note, I was very honoured to receive notice from Feedspot.com that my blog is ranked 4/20 of the top coloured pencil blogs worldwide. I haven’t been very active in the world or blogging of late, but it’s time that I was!
Keep enjoying your art, however and whichever way you create it!
Richard
