I remember watching a TV programme about a jacket that was featured on the front cover of Vogue magazine. It was modeled by one of the supermodels of the time, like Linda Evangelista or Christy Turlington and, although I can't remember exactly, I'm fairly sure it was Chanel. The programme followed the making, marketing, promotion and selling of the jacket. To cut a long story short, this jacket was made by a few women in an obscure part of the world using a very precious bolt of fabric, cost a large four figure sum and - here's the rub - sold to about five rich women. So that jacket that was to represent a new fashion movement, featured on a popular magazine, was as attainable to the average woman as Linda's face and figure.
I was surfing some art blogs this morning and yet again I find that even though the artist is speaking English, I cannot understand a word they are saying! They say the Americans and the Brits are two peoples separated by a common language and I find this so true when reading certain (modern) art blogs! Are they speaking a language only those in a certain area of New York can understand? Are they trying to mask something that is lacking in their work? It's really not that I don't like modern art but I'm finding that with some artists who speak in an indecipherable (artsy fartsy?) language, their art doesn't speak to me either.
My Dad was a very conservative person so I was surprised when one day he said how much he liked one of Salvador Dali's paintings. I'm sure Dad would have had no time for Dali's affectations! But to me it represented something more important- that Dali's art was communicating and speaking a universal language. If you travel to remote parts of the world, you find that every human being understands it.
Isn't the whole point about art to communicate (for want of a better word)? Perhaps I'm missing something - that the point of these artists (or should they be called club members?) is only to communicate in code so that only the Chosen Ones understand? What then are they trying to say with their art, and who is their audience? Or is it an in-joke? Are they thumbing their noses at the masses perhaps, like that expensive jacket?
10 comments:
I swear I wrote my blog this morning before I read yours, and I can't believe that we both talked of Art and plain English. Spooky or what?
OH I AGREE!!! Sometimes it's like listening to politicians -- babble -- all of it -- in an attempt to laud their 'insider' knowledge ... phooey, I say ... to me, when one speaks with such affectations, they're hiding their own insecurities and LACK of knowledge!
I too abhor obfuscatory exclusospeak. I sometimes wonder if what art schools do best is train people to use bullshit. And academics seem to have to use dense language in order to prove that they are clever. Pah!
The analogy with the couture jacket is spot on - it is because folks are trying to push the elitist exclusivity of the art so that it is seen to be worth more money.
Doesn't it sometimes seem like the more bizarre and shocking a piece of art is the more money someone is prepared to pay for it - very odd!
an intersting post - the exclusivity of that designer jacket is a great comparison although I love love Linda Evangelista!
Im sure there are many artists that feel the same way
I've been to a lot of museums and galleries in the past few years, and the amount of pretension and coded artspeak is just mind-boggling. But not among the people who do representational work. Funny thing. The more 'out there' art is, the more it seems they have to prop it up to justify its importance and quality. Beautiful painting needs no explanation, and the artists are generally humble and real. Sometimes my husband and I will leave a show barely able to stifle our giggles. At one show of art school graduates in LA (and it was not of students of Art Center. I love the work I see at Art Center) there was one piece, I kid you not, that was made of duct tape taped to an interior wall corner sort of like a sling seat. There was nothing particularly beautifully designed about it. It wasn't even original as dada. It looked as though it took about 15 minutes to construct and hang. At first I thought it was a joke, put by some wag. No, there was a name, year of graduation, etc. Incredible!
Give me a break from obfuscated installations and 'works' like that. There are some of us who are working at art every day for who knows what eventual reward. And they give kudos to crap like that because it has some esoteric meaning.
I mean ... really.
(It's me, Karen W ... I just don't want to be googled on a rant. .....LOL)
To me a really successful piece of art speaks without the need for accompanying words. It has the ability to connect the artist's soul to the soul of the viewer on a level that words could never express adequately. I tend to think that artspeak mumbojumbo is used when the piece can't stand alone without it. It actually says more about the artist than the work. JMHO. :o)
Great comments, thank you! Anastasia, I like Linda too and she's probably the most level headed of the lot - but don't get me started on Niaomi!!
I'd be interested to read the text you're referring to. I'm curious now. Thanks for the interesting post.
"exclusospeak" I love it, omega! :-)
I attended a painting workshop a year ago, & the tutor spoke of 'bones'. I didn't understand what he meant, so I asked him, but unfortunately I didn't understand his 'explanation'! If only he would deign to explain in plain English!
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