The psychology of art

What do you think of today’s picture? Art or photography? Andy Warhol once said art is, whatever you can get away with or words to that effect. There have been a lot of art movements. A picture of a tin of Campbell’s soup was recognised as art once. I remember a pile of bricks being passed off as art too.

There is a snobbishness about art, it’s culture and only the rich can possibly afford culture. Many of the schools of art haven’t been readily accepted by the public. Have you heard of Appropriation (art)? No? Me neither until a minute ago. It’s bits and pieces brought together to form an image. It didn’t really catch on.

Art Nouveau and Art Deco, did catch on and were hugely popular. Art Nouveau is still popular today and is very decorative in style. The style was used in printing and posters especially. The style was also applied to architecture and so was accepted by the general public. That style developed  and was applied to many manufactured goods and became known as Art Deco from around 1920 onwards. I think that was a true art movement. Other schools of art that many people have heard of and perhaps liked amongst the modern schools of art include impressionism, although not as popular as the work of the likes of Constable and Turner.

More recently we have seen the Pop Art of Andy Warhol and even art based on cartoons, but it’s not all accepted by the general public. Acceptance is perhaps the definition of true art and not ‘whatever you can get away with’.

Who should define what is art? The curators and managers of the art galleries spending public money or the public themselves? I think any art movement that isn’t readily accepted or the public is critical of when the ‘experts’ tell us how great it is; can be dismissed as bogus.

I think out of the problems of the 21st century, a new art movement could become popular. Many people are interested in art and I edit my photos to try to produce something artistic. This is something anyone can do and digital cameras are popular, so this could become the next popular art movement. Art isn’t just images though and 3D printers are becoming more available. They offer exciting possibilities for digital sculpture. The ‘experts’ and ‘art critics’ would have us believe that only a minority of the public are cultured enough to appreciate art and you need a university degree at the very least to be able to produce art. Are you too primitive and uncultured to appreciate a good picture or a sculpture? You might not be the greatest painter in the world or even a good photographer, but that doesn’t mean you couldn’t learn to do that if you wanted to. I think these experts and art critics patronise the people and so the people should simply ignore them. Their views are based on their own prejudices and not on what is aesthetically pleasing and popular.

I reviewed some of my earlier photography today and it’s improving. I think that is how art is produced, by experience. You become interested and embark on a journey, looking for something. I feel like I’m looking for images that are not only different, but something very personal, that I want to achieve. I have only managed a few so far, the rest are simply photos. The photos are interesting and people like them, but I think they are a basis for something more. I can edit some of them to create a image that says more to the viewer than just ‘this is pretty’. Some images, inspire, provoke thought, have a message or intrigue.

I hope to make this Art Week, with a art inspired blog post everyday. Tomorrow will be easy, because it will be my usual Neodigital Art day. I hope to do a special post on Wednesday, that is already written, but I have to check it before I publish. That is a review of an exhibition I went to recently.  On Thursday, it’s my thrifty blog post and I’ll be writing about starting your on collection; on a budget. What do you think? Please share your thoughts in the comments box.

Advertisement