Wednesday, May 21, 2014

What Good is Art? "The Mona Lisa Curse- by Robert Hughes.

I have been an artist most of my life; I have always wondered what the point of it was outside of my own joy and pleasure in doing it. I think this age has made it more difficult as a few wealthy art collectors are sucking the air and life out of it.

I was profoundly moved by the Quilt Show at the Boston Museum, ecstatic work done for love and no money. http://www.mfa.org/exhibitions/quilts-and-color

This show was really only reviewed in Boston while Kara Walkers execrable "Sugar Baby received 3 reviews in the New York Times alone. By the way the claim that Ms. Walker is controversial is a fiction. It is comprised mainly of two outraged black artists complaining of content and one put-upon black Newark librarian covering up a Walker drawing that included fellatio she considered inappropriate for a public library. The owner of the drawing sent Ms Walker to Newark to' re-educate' the librarian.

I think this is an important video -over an hour but worth every minute. Hughes explains  how the value of art has shifted from its value as something transcendent to a rapidly reproducible commodity to maximize profit. Arts new function is to appreciate whilst sitting on a wall! Not my wall sadly.

Here is a recent New York Times review.on the new new newest- FLIP ART! Get your spray cans ready!

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/14/arts/international/hot-new-artists-getting-hotter.html?action=click&module=Search&region=searchResults&mabReward=relbias%3Ar&url=http%3A%2F%2Fquery.nytimes.com%2Fsearch%2Fsitesearch%2F%3Faction%3Dclick%26region%3DMasthead%26pgtype%3DHomepage%26module%3DSearchSubmit%26contentCollection%3DHomepage%26t%3Dqry45%23%2FFlip+art

Oh do I miss Robert Hughes.

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