artstuff.net.au/category/art-stuff/ Dear All - what is art? You are probably about to start your studies for this year and are wondering what will be in store for you. Perhaps you are just starting out in secondary school at maybe Yr11, your folks said yes to you doing Visual Art because you have taken on a bunch of highly academic subjects and this will be a welcome break from all that. Perhaps you have done Yr 11 and you liked Visual Art for some reason and want to do more, something seems to be compelling you to carry on. Your folks are still happy(ish) for you to have this as a break from other studies… Your Father wants you to go into accounting or some such, your Mother just wants you to be happy no matter what (sweet aren’t they). The Art Teacher says at the parent teacher interview you should do Art because you are good at it… maybe it’s the first time you have heard that and it feels nice. Perhaps you have completed Yr 12 and are looking at what courses to do. Your Mum’s words of ‘being happy’ seems to suit you more than some career choice your Father has in mind. Besides, the Art Teacher said you were good at it and the word career seems so, well, final, and long term. “I want to do art Mum” (words which will may haunt you forever) – Your mum goes into bat for you, your Father tells you he loves you and with gritted teeth he says “whatever makes you happy” followed with “I just hope it’s the right decision” (the guilt starts early but now you start to notice it’s cruel bite). Now with excitement and a dose of trepidation you stumble forward, the course is signed up, you spend the summer break telling your friends, you get a little arty in the way you dress and wear you hair, it’s all part of it right? Mind you any thought of drawing, taking photos or any visit to an Art Gallery seems like some form of imposition. Then things get underway, you don’t realise it yet but the teachers talking at you may have had exhibitions (possibly quite a number of them), they have probably struggled to make any decent cash from the sale of their work, and they may suggest that “It’s art for art sake” and their argument then seems to get clouded in various forms of justification for the arts some of which may proclaim it as a lifestyle. It’s all heroic, you, them, their stance on Art, learning about cultural things your circle of family and friends may never seem to grasp (philistines!) Paint on canvas, clay in kilns, metal beaten into submission, computer graphics that defy logic and a bunch of theory work you just want to sleep through (the arty parties can do that to you) Before you know it the study is finished, the folio is bulging (or not) and there you are standing all alone, as if on the edge of a massive cliff. The wind howling about you ready to push you off at the slightest misstep. Then words from the seemingly not too distant past echo in your mind ‘I just hope it’s the right decision’ and ‘Just be happy’. There you stand pondering what next. Will I make it as an Artist, will I get that magical ‘creative position’, or will I be resigned to a life of working in an Arty Shop, or some other form of job you so willingly describe as slavery, which you could have done all those years before with or without a ‘qualification’. Life unfolds before you, time fleetingly drags you into the unknown with a clear disdain for any dream you may have. In a stupor of positive energy you grab a list of Galleries to go visit. You tuck your wares under your arm and fall headlong into the misery of trying to get galleries to take you on board. It’s then that you realise you know so much, yet so little about the whole “Visual Art thing” and that your qualification only stands as a reminder of a small part of your ongoing education and connectedness to art. It’s then you realise the hard bitter battle you have started and may not win (ever). It’s then that you realise your heart is an object to be trampled on and kicked aside by others who take a deep breath and say “Oh, here we go again, another ex art student… sigh.” You also realise this journey is more than a qualification, more than a piece of paper with your name and a stamp of approval. No, you are just beginning to realise the world owes you no favours but gives you endless opportunities to explore, make statements, hold a flame of truth aloft and forge forward with hope and a rickety confidence stemming from who knows where. Your journey has begun, travel well young person. Learn much and learn often, give everything your best and hold your head high. This thing we call Art is a beast to be reckoned with, which can test every fibre of your being and in exchange it MAY give you great gifts, but don’t hold your breath, if fact you might do well to give up now, walk away from the alluring beast, stand aside and let it pass by. Pay it no disrespect as it does pass, and you will live a life less tortured free from the shackles of it’s malevolence. However if you do let it pass by will you ever know the ecstasy which can come from the angst ridden beast? Will you ever know if you are the next Picasso or Rembrandt? Will you ever know if this thing which started out with your Art Teacher telling your parents ‘you are good at Art’ can give you an enhanced spirit, a sense of belonging, an edge in making sense of this crazy crazy world. Go forth in this bizarre world and make your mark, but do so guided by more than just a throw away subjective line about your skills, or your retaliation against your Fathers advice and guilt throwing. Go forth in the world with wonderment and joy, explore deeply and rigorously and let all that it presents fill you with ecstasy. Then and only then, will you be able to hold true to your ideals of Visual Art, creative life and all it has to offer. January 28, 2012 | Filed Under Art Career Strategies, Art Stuff, My Two Cents..., VCE Studio Arts | 2 Comments What is art? This art stuff… What is it anyway? Don’t you love it when people ask, and you decide to show them, you take them to a gallery and end up with a sore head. Or if you are a student and you think you have it all figured out, think again. Visual Art is many things to many people and I figured I would weigh in with some starting points to consider, so next time someone quizzes you about what art is… throw this at them! Visual Art may be… an item/s created with the intent (at some stage) of being considered of some aesthetic, or other value fascinating telling a story decorative working on the ‘lunatic fringe’ fragile impermanent conceptual absurd permanent personal obtuse! mechanical organic inorganic kinaesthetic direct and straightforward a nuisance testing our wits a way to explore narrative – descriptive arrogant impulsive impressive depressing ‘rattling the cage’ disgusting frightening clashing with sensibilities jangling nerves fashionable faddish anarchistic and or anachronistic! taking you on a journey of discovery pushing your buttons enthralling you exploring aesthetic sophistication annoying a thought, an action an object or a combination of these leaving you wondering random meaningless meaningful elating for us functional, or not whimsical subtle strong eclectic disconcerting, confrontational and beautiful not telling a story, or the opposite may also be a relevant notion to consider provocative symbolic aggressive assertive violent A device to add to our cultural depth subdued sensitive delicate deeply personal therapeutic terrifying relaxing causing us to think causing us to explore issues of aesthetic merit, or not imbuing meaning/s onto things, or notions about things or processes causes us to drag out a dictionary to explore word meanings challenges our linguistic deftness, or not… more… Go on do some of your own thinking about the issue and add ideas and options into the comments for this post. Art seems to be more about a person making objects as part of an ongoing process than it is about creating things of beauty, it will certainly challenge us and as a part of our cultural fabric it becomes a device which can lead us into fresh territory to explore the real and abstract in ways we may feel unsure about. Don’t expect Art to soothe your soul, it may in fact disrupt your soul, interrupt your rational thinking and aggravate you to no end. Perhaps “Art” is therefore more about moving or adjusting people intellectually and or emotionally more than it is about notions of Aesthetic sensibility… Lets combine what art is with some of the benefits or features it may provide. Visual Art – can challenge collective consciousness can be of cultural value by exploring cultural themes and issues (personal – political – religious – community – business – environmental – historic – other) can be a way of strengthening cultural integrity may be of value to explore and expand on rituals and symbolism may be able to give us some access to how others think and explore/understand/appreciate their world/s (which we may not be able to gain access to by other means) provide distinctions on subjects and objects of interest may assist in cultural and historic recollection challenge our perception of the world and things we know can be a vital part of contemporary culture, helping us to make sense of, or come to terms with the world around us. reflects life, or the lack of it can be cool hovers in the space between recognition and ambiguity, figuration and abstraction the product of our creativity and or challenge our notions of creativity has some part to play in reality, reality inversion (or aversion as the case may be.) questions our assumptions about certainty, materiality and the future a delicious entree into the human condition can cause us to consider our own place in the scheme of things may cause us to experience heightened depths of comfort or discomfort may address fundamental human truths may be about addressing other ‘truths’ can cause “visceral intensity” (deep inner feelings) may express the abject indifference of things may express the sheer positive joy of life can be intelligent and intensely inventive can be of historic importance plays a vital part in our cultural heritage and cultural depth Combine this information with this article, and you might just develop a solid starting point to appreciating what this ‘art thing’ explores. There, now you know what art is! :) Consider taking this list with you to an art gallery and inviting the good staff there to indicate which of these descriptors best fit to the works on display… you might cause a stir, now wouldn’t that be fun! :) Perhaps you could become a conceptual artist in the process, who would know? July 26, 2011 | Filed Under About Visual Art, Art Stuff, My Two Cents..., Promotiong the arts | Leave a Comment
Posted on: Thu, 14 Nov 2013 01:27:18 +0000
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