Thursday, July 8, 2010

Art and Survival

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7 comments:

Gary Bowen said...

I've seen too many Kenneth Clark videos too many times on 'Civilization' to at least lend credence to the notion. Isn't that not what Art History is all about?

Serena Kovalosky said...

Yes, but what about now - especially in North America? From the responses I've received so far on Facebook and in person, it seems to be a very personal matter, rather than a societal one. My personal answer is still "yes" and in my next blog, I discover part of the reason why. My good friend, painter Leslie Parke, once said, "If you're a good artist, you'll save yourself. If you're a great artist, you'll save others."

Gary Bowen said...

I agree it's personal, very personal. My understanding is that artists collectively are the mordant of a cultural mosaic, only. After the classical period, our freedom to artistic expression left the realm of propaganda. Turner, Braque Picasso and so on made sure of that. But even so, Khanweiler was the impresario/rep who 'permitted' Picasso to the art world (crumb, look at what Pollock had to go through it was Guggenheim that opened the door and only at the prodding of Lee Krasner). To define oneself as an artist, has to come from the artist, first and hopefully, others will concur. Then as Leslie says, "good artists save themselves, great artists save others" That is a mighty notion to subscribe to.

Serena Kovalosky said...

I think you hit the nail on the head when you said, "To define oneself as an artist, has to come from the artist first, and hopefully others will concur." When I first started getting my work out as a professional artist in Montreal, most everyone told me that you never call yourself an artist. Someone else has to bestow that title on you. Not knowing any better, I believed that for years! Once my work evolved and I had developed a strong faith in my own talent, I no longer needed others to decide whether or not the work I did was "real art". And, like Picasso, I can do my own marketing without having to rely solely on others to manage my artistic reputation.

Then came the money issue.

"Real" artists earn a good living from their art.....so does that mean you're not an artist when the market slows and you have to find other forms of income? I finally got over that myth very recently and have decided that what I do is more of a calling than a career choice. So the economy can do what it wants....I'll create anyway and my work will still sell, and get shown in museums and hopefully alot of people will be able to enjoy it.

Gary Bowen said...

We would be remiss if we didn't tap into our dominant side because it just is. Like I said in my blog "A part of me is emerging that I dare not treat with apathy or worse, dismissal, for this is me." Whether or not outwardly profound doesn't matter, cause it's the most effective way I can come to terms with this, regardless of how proficient we are/aren't dealing with the status quo.

Serena Kovalosky said...

Be who you are.

Gary Bowen said...

That's cool. You just answered Clements' question!
The blog is neat. Clark says that our current state is void of (religious or political) rubric's with labyrinths with many paths to chose from, and many dead end ones. I enjoyed that!