It's surprising and disheartening to see a piece of the Winnipeg art community being as unsupportive of another artist as the posts above have shown. Sad.
Of these 4 photos, only 1 of them really gives any glimpse as to what the art was about. Art is a personal thing, and I like the painting that's shown, but seeing one painting doesn't give me enough information to make up my mind as to whether or not I like this artists work. The carpet may be hideous, but what impact does that have on the art itself?
well, anon, no one suggested the carpet had anything to do with the quality of the work. that point was incidental.
all of us, me included, are big supporters of art in all its forms, and as our track record at the now-defunct Label Gallery shows, we welcome and encourage artists of any stripe.
having said that, it's possible to support art while also offering critique or commentary. this guy got a HUGE bit of coverage in the FP, and that will naturally rub some people the wrong way, so any perceived hostility comes more from that fact that he acheived with apparent ease what many people on this very blog have struggled for years to achieve a fraction of.
NOW, having said that, this guy is clearly a beginner. this is amateur hobbyist art, and its his ability to self-promote and make connections in the business community that got him all the attention he got.
i don't call him a beginner as an insult, though. it's simply a statement of fact.
maybe if he continues to work diligently at this for another decade or two (because, despite his claims in the article, this work doesn't suggest to me a life-long, disciplined process of trial and error, growth, etc, that is essential to the development of any artist), then i'll be more willing to jump on board.
i have no problem with this fellow or his making of art. in fact, if i met him i'd congratulate him and encourage him to keep at it.
but again, the attention this show got isn't merited by the work itself. sorry if that's harsh, but it's true.
again-- put in another 20 years, then we'll see. that's what artists do.
further, though, if you like this, then feel free. the opinion of others doesn't need to affect that, and it's true that art is a personal thing.
but just like any discipline, there's a big jump between those who peck away casually at something, and those who spend thousands of hours over years and decades.
creativity is innate.
but the very specific skill set developed over decades of learning about paint and painting is not innate.
to me, these works show a certain creativity, but the skill level of a beginner.
wolfboy, your last note said that this guy achieved with apparent ease what many people on this very blog have struggled for years to achieve a fraction of...how can you say he achieved this with ease? Have you attempted to have an article written about YOUR art in the FP? Have you attempted to have a show at a venue like the Inn at the Forks with sponsorship from local businesses and air time on French and English radio and TV advertising the show? What in your mind makes you think that this was easy?
I personally know this artist, and love his work. I know that he has painted since he was a child, and his work is receiving the attention it deserves, partly because his years in business have helped him know and want to market himself.
The germans have a term for what you are saying here...that his coverage in the FP will naturally rub people the wrong way - its called schadenfreude - that is what I see here. Very sad that people have to be resentful for someone working hard to promote themselves.
If any of you knew this artist, you would know that he spends a lot of his time promoting other artists and would go out of his way to help any of them that showed an interest how to promote themselves as well. Instead of being jealous and hurtful, why not try to promote yourself too? And if you don't want that sort of promotion, don't begrudge that he does. This is his business, not a hobby, and he is treating it as such.
If you don't like his work, then don't go and see it. I can tell you that like your work or not, he would NEVER stoop to tearing it apart online like many of you have. If you really claim to support other artists, then by all means critique work, but do it constructively, not by being jealous of his ability to promote himself.
A Love for Art was a collaborative blog for visual artists, musicians, writers, and social scientists. This blog has evolved into a new blog called BETA, go check it out!
11 comments:
okay Lady MacBeth.
but you're correct.
eck is right!
word verification: rotoron
interesting!
i kind of like the carpet, as well as that lady's mint-coloured pant suit.
other than that, i will follow the "if you can't say something nice..." rule and say nothing.
:)
not sure what Wpg specifically has to do with whatever problems one might have with this work/exhibit, though.
there's at least fifty artists i can think of in Wpg whose CV would crush this guy, and who exhibit globally, so...
I've never seen easle drapes before. I'm taking that idea from this experience. Nice investigative reporting JC!
It's surprising and disheartening to see a piece of the Winnipeg art community being as unsupportive of another artist as the posts above have shown. Sad.
Of these 4 photos, only 1 of them really gives any glimpse as to what the art was about. Art is a personal thing, and I like the painting that's shown, but seeing one painting doesn't give me enough information to make up my mind as to whether or not I like this artists work. The carpet may be hideous, but what impact does that have on the art itself?
well, anon, no one suggested the carpet had anything to do with the quality of the work. that point was incidental.
all of us, me included, are big supporters of art in all its forms, and as our track record at the now-defunct Label Gallery shows, we welcome and encourage artists of any stripe.
having said that, it's possible to support art while also offering critique or commentary. this guy got a HUGE bit of coverage in the FP, and that will naturally rub some people the wrong way, so any perceived hostility comes more from that fact that he acheived with apparent ease what many people on this very blog have struggled for years to achieve a fraction of.
NOW, having said that, this guy is clearly a beginner. this is amateur hobbyist art, and its his ability to self-promote and make connections in the business community that got him all the attention he got.
i don't call him a beginner as an insult, though. it's simply a statement of fact.
maybe if he continues to work diligently at this for another decade or two (because, despite his claims in the article, this work doesn't suggest to me a life-long, disciplined process of trial and error, growth, etc, that is essential to the development of any artist), then i'll be more willing to jump on board.
i have no problem with this fellow or his making of art. in fact, if i met him i'd congratulate him and encourage him to keep at it.
but again, the attention this show got isn't merited by the work itself. sorry if that's harsh, but it's true.
again-- put in another 20 years, then we'll see. that's what artists do.
further, though, if you like this, then feel free. the opinion of others doesn't need to affect that, and it's true that art is a personal thing.
but just like any discipline, there's a big jump between those who peck away casually at something, and those who spend thousands of hours over years and decades.
creativity is innate.
but the very specific skill set developed over decades of learning about paint and painting is not innate.
to me, these works show a certain creativity, but the skill level of a beginner.
Well put wolfboy. Even so, we could probably critique more constructively, or at least I could have.
wolfboy, your last note said that this guy achieved with apparent ease what many people on this very blog have struggled for years to achieve a fraction of...how can you say he achieved this with ease? Have you attempted to have an article written about YOUR art in the FP? Have you attempted to have a show at a venue like the Inn at the Forks with sponsorship from local businesses and air time on French and English radio and TV advertising the show? What in your mind makes you think that this was easy?
I personally know this artist, and love his work. I know that he has painted since he was a child, and his work is receiving the attention it deserves, partly because his years in business have helped him know and want to market himself.
The germans have a term for what you are saying here...that his coverage in the FP will naturally rub people the wrong way - its called schadenfreude - that is what I see here. Very sad that people have to be resentful for someone working hard to promote themselves.
If any of you knew this artist, you would know that he spends a lot of his time promoting other artists and would go out of his way to help any of them that showed an interest how to promote themselves as well. Instead of being jealous and hurtful, why not try to promote yourself too? And if you don't want that sort of promotion, don't begrudge that he does. This is his business, not a hobby, and he is treating it as such.
If you don't like his work, then don't go and see it. I can tell you that like your work or not, he would NEVER stoop to tearing it apart online like many of you have. If you really claim to support other artists, then by all means critique work, but do it constructively, not by being jealous of his ability to promote himself.
An admirer of Grollé
I wouldn't put too much into what old wolfboy says, after all, he is just a wolf imitating a man, imitating a wolf.
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