Monday, October 28, 2013
Art Rant Number One
Kurt von Behrmann
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| Edvard Munch's The Scream |
There
are any number of questions you can ask an artist. You can inquire about the nature of the work
or the themes involved. There exist a
plethora of questions one can ask. Out
of all of them that are possible one struck me as a bit offensive. That question, you may ask is this.
Do you actually “sell” your work?
The
reason that question is so irksome is that it reduces art to just dollars and
cents. It does not address quality,
merit or artistic direction. The question
ignores other issues like Republicans hate concessions. A refutation of the merit of art is boldly
addressed when it comes to value based on the market.
If, and
I do say if, the market is so damn accurate than why was a van Gogh worth a few
dollars to be deemed priceless later. If
the market is so damn accurate artist’s monetary value would be as permanent as
gravity.
The subject
is squarely art and money. The sad reality is that so many always ask the same
question, do you get paid and how much?
After a while question becomes an attack on credibility. Art should be of merit irrespective of the price. A van Gogh is no less wonderful if it were a
few dollars or millions of them. The
value of the work is in the aesthetic value.
Ideally
a work of art must stand on its own. Its
price simply a reality that artists have to get paid. Just like the lawyer, the doctor, the butcher
and the candlestick maker. Everyone has
to live.
But
when art is reduced to just another transaction, something about the idea seems
coarse and ill considered. Art is
supposed to be more than a price tag. In
an ideal world it should be something of wonder that poses questions or
inspires to greatness. Art that fails to
take a higher road only winds up sitting in a gutter wondering what went wrong.
People
will always wonder about the careful dance that is art and money. Too bad that
the fiscal always trumps the artistic side.
