Is it Art if it isn’t Shared?
“Whispers in the Wind” by Kansas artist Lois VanLiew. Artist approved Prints are available at http://www.artprintexpress.com
Art creation is a shared activity. Many art forms such as theatre, choir or dance require a group to be realized and every art form requires an audience to appreciate it. If a solitary painter creates a piece and keeps it for himself, hides it in a spare bedroom, never to be seen by another soul, is it really art? Does it do what art is intended to do such as communicating a story to the public? Although it has fulfilled the single sided objective of the needs of the artist, it fails to accomplish the greater purpose of enriching the human race in some form.
It is the responsibility of the artist to reach out and share their vision with the world. It must be presented to the collective for evaluation in order for it to be truly considered art. If it does not get the opportunity to be viewed by others, it is simply a selfish activity, fulfilling some need in the creator but failing to reach the full potential that is found in an audience.
A good example of what I mean is the work of Van Gogh. Although his work is considered great art today, it failed to be appreciated by an audience prior to his death. Until the moment that his work saw the light of day and presented to an audience that could appreciate the genius of the work, it was not really art. So during his lifetime, Van Gogh’s pieces were nothing but obsessive pieces created by the artist. This may be an uncomfortable statement to digest, but art must be a shared experience and failing this criteria it is only work that is waiting to accomplish its purpose.
Historically visual art such as Van Gogh’s was mired in an army of gatekeepers comprised of an elite few gallery owners, patrons and experts that dictated to the masses which pieces of art was worth viewing, purchasing and appreciating. Today with the dawn of the online social network the concierge obstacle is no longer brick wall for the artist. Artwork can now be presented to the audience in a simple, efficient and broadcast manner as has never before been available to the artist or potential patron. Gaining the freedom to impact the human race and realize its intended purpose, allowed to become great art on its own merits and not on arbitrary preordained criteria of some faceless elite. This is fantastic news for the artist and spectators alike.
With this new found liberty, people are now able to seek out and connect on a level that allows for the arts flourish and artists to make a living doing exactly what they were born to do. It takes courage from the artist to present their work to the masses, yet there is a higher probability to find that tribe who will support the artistic vision. With the ever growing divergent options found on the internet, there is no longer a set stereotype dictated to be profitable or worthy of consideration. Individuals are free do make the decisions and seek out like minded community to support their opinions. To be successful artists need only to find a following of a few hundred individuals who love and collect their work. There is no longer the need to become the next Warhol or Picasso, whose work was sold to the public by galleries, to make a living as an artist. With certainty, an artist no longer has to wait until they are dead, like Van Gogh to make a living with their work.
Supporting a favorite artist has never been so easy. With ever expanding options for artists to present their work, innovations in technology also bring choices that make it even more affordable to collect and share an artist’s work. One of those advances for the two-dimensional artist is the advent of high quality giclée prints.
The process to create a giclée print represents a relatively new advancement in printmaking technology and produces better color control and accuracy than any other current means of image reproduction. Original artwork is translated digitally with high resolution scans, digital cameras or computerized art programs and printed using professional color ink-jet printers. High quality archival inks are used on a variety of surfaces including canvas, fine art papers and photo papers. The quality of the giclée print rivals traditional silver-halide and gelatin printing processes and is commonly found in museums and galleries.
For artists this process is most helpful because they can reproduce their artwork on-demand with minimal effort and manageable cost. The high cost of mass production for an edition is eliminated and each image can be printed on demand. The digital files are archived until they are needed and will not inherently deteriorate as does the older film process. Also, with the giclée process a print can be made to accommodate a variety sizes and onto a variety of media, which gives the artist another option for customization with each client.
Art Print Express offers fine art giclée prints to make them accessible not only for the artists to resell but to also give them opportunities to connect with their fans online. Our interactive website offers uploading of a digital file, custom framing, as well as a selection of outstanding Kansas artists to collect and share.
Now I want to know what are your thoughts? Is art truly art if it isn’t shared? Or have you discovered an artist through social media?
It is still art if only seen by the artist. Once it’s exposed to the public and wins its fickle approval, it becomes culture. In Van Gogh’s case, had it been seen by the public in that time, it would never have been seen in ours. His genius would not have been part of the “culture” representing his time or ours.
Good argument Shelly. I still think it is important to be seen and many artists are intimidated by showing their work – but I believe it is worth the pain to get it out there and share your vision as an artist.
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