Jeffery LeMieux wrote:
Maybe some of the folks on Cowdisley are right. The "philosophizing" leads away from what really counts, making beautiful realist paintings that matter more than any argument, that are the best argument for their continued refinement.
Maybe some of the folks on Cowdisley are right. The "philosophizing" leads away from what really counts, making beautiful realist paintings that matter more than any argument, that are the best argument for their continued refinement.
Jeffrey,
Of course the art matters! The problem is that the public's been fed the propaganda that holds the realist art back for a really long time. The work is relegated to seats in the back of the bus, not allowed equal status, not to be taken seriously. The idea is so strong that textbooks in art schools and universities continue to keep the status quo in place. The modern art that you all dislike or regard with such contempt is held up on a pedestal so high, that I doubt in my lifetime, I'll ever see it lose it's value. The best I could hope for, is that the realist art that inspires me can compete and co-exist, eventually on the same level and garner the respect it deserves. I know a lot of modern art people who respect what I do to my face, but you can bet they won't say my work is better than theirs or even on equal footing because they've been conditioned to believe that any earnestness and conviction they might have overrides any lack of drawing and painting ability they might have. To the public, it isn't that obvious either; ... there's too many art "experts" who think that those crazy nonsensical dabs and drips are "great art", some 4 year old kid is called a genius for slap-dash painting with her dad in background caught on audio suggesting what color she should use next (no one ever questions how a parent can allow a preschooler to use toxic materials), those damn "gates" went up with such fanfare, ... to quote my dad, "What the hell's going on!"
All Fred has done with this website is try and promote the work that most of you on this forum seem to enjoy looking at. If he's got to throw a couple stones while he's at it, so be it! It's already in the past anyway, the key for this artwork to get any credibility, is in it's own "hype". It's not enough to be great art, it needs to be marketed better. I'm not sure exactly how, but that's what I see. I agree with Virgil, that quality should be obvious, but it definitely isn't to the public at large.
Travis
