Monday, November 05, 2007

Contemporary art?

Sometimes (or maybe it's most of the time?) I honestly don't understand the current trends in art. And I kinda feel like other people would think I'm dumb for walking into a gallery and finding a lot of contemporary art gimmicky. :P Don't get me wrong, mixed media and variety is wonderful, I love how you can make any kind of art you want with whatever you want. However, after I get over the initial "wow" factor that the work was made out of pencil shavings, I start to wonder if there's anything else to that work. Truly, I believe that good art is art that transcends both the gimmick and the punch-line concept. Good art is art that, as a viewer, I'm impressed by it visually, and then I stand around to think about its meaning, and then after reading the statement, still continue to find layers of things happening. Good art isn't "Paris Hilton", good art is "Cate Blanchett". There's a real solid piece of work under there, it's not all just rag-sheets and glitter. Of course, I'm saying these things partially as a frustrated viewer and a frustrated artist. I find meaning in my work, but there's a part of the art establishment that doesn't. I'm trying to find a balance there somewhere, and it's something I've been really struggling with for the past year. I'm never sure if I'm going in the right direction, and I'm scared to death of creating something and then becoming pigeon-holed by a piece of work that isn't "me". Hopefully, I'll soon run across the answer to (at least) part of this problem.. but then again, maybe it's just something all artists struggle with? Anyway, that's my rant for this week. :)

3 comments:

Ester Wilson said...

you're definitely not alone in those thoughts.

Megan Wolfe said...

Ester > That's always good to know. :)

I've since chatted with some of my former instructors about it, and they said the same thing too. That and "be true to your work, and hopefully it will be enough". Wise words, I think, but sometimes difficult to remember. :)

visioneerwindows said...

Try reading thru 'The Spiritual Visualizer' blog, from its beginning.... you might find some enrichment for your thoughts...