My wife and I were asking each other ‘Why is there so much bad painting around, why there are so many people who paint and why there is so little demand for quality painting today?’
Is there something that unites these three themes?
Once upon a time, there were the Arts and there were the Crafts. The Arts had a higher standing. Today, it is hard to distinguish between that which is considered a craft and that which can truly qualify as Art. Probably, the valuable training of the artist has been diluted so much that it is difficult for non-experts to distinguish the difference between craft and Art.
The second question is influenced by the first problem. The availability of more leisure time for the middle class has given birth to such phenomena as mega-gyms, shopping malls, and beauty parlors on every corner. Painting is a nice hobby and anyone can do it.
Lastly, I think that the third problem is the natural consequence of the other two points. The idea of owning an original piece of art that expresses the sentiments, culture and sensibility of its owner has been replaced or eliminated: Firstly, by the mass of low-cost, wall-space fillers (posters mainly) and secondly in the outward expression of buying certain clothes, spending time and money on one’s body and entertainment.
What is left doesn’t even contemplate the need for Fine Art.
[whohit]-About Painting and Art_EN-[/whohit]