Rantings of a questionably sane artist I was painting in my studio this morning, listening to Neil Young, live at Massey Hall 1971, when I was suddenly struck by an epiphany of sorts. It occurred to me, that we are living in an age of
technology, excitement, instantaneous stimulation, instant credit, instant gratification, all the crap that you could possibly want to buy and perhaps never really needed... and yet, what an age of uninspired blandness we are in. God help us, we have manufactured rock stars, Australian idol, American idol, dancing with the stars, big brother, 400 different types of tooth paste, 4000 fast
food franchises, art generated by computers, books about boy wizards making billions, and so on..... Arghh, stop the world, I want to get off. Maybe I'm turning into a grumpy old fart, but God, where is the passion. Where is the diversity, where is the skill and talent, where is the soul! Neil Young's words, sum up an age of creativity, passion, anti war movements, peace movements, love, hippies, music and art. His songs were raw and gut wrenching, relevant to the times and even to now. And that brought me to my thoughts about art. What a bland and decidedly mindless market we have created. Consumerism set the catalyst, globalisation
set the pace, and blandness was the recipe for the cake we now have shoved down our throats. How many talented and unique musicians, artists, writers and poets, have been swallowed up by the one eyed, bland and tasteless monster? The monster that feeds it's engine, on the mountain of poor quality imported crap from China, an endless hunger for more and more stuff we don't need! I
look at the vast mountain of 'art' that is available on eBay and I want to weep! Mountains of stuff, some good, mostly bad, mostly ripped off but decidedly all bland. Can this ravenous consumer beast, ever satiate itself, for the vast globalised mountain of bland that we are creating? We visited a shopping mall the other day. A new affair created on the Sunshine Coast. It had all the
trappings of a modern mall and with one thing blatantly in common. It was the same as every other bloody shopping centre, in any part of the western world. Same franchises, same fast food favourites, same imported Chinese cheap shops, same products from globalised multinationals. Where are the grocers, the bespoke shoe makers, the camera repair shops, the butchers, the bakeries, the potters, etc etc.... So I thought.. bugger it, I won't be part of this blandness virus, I won't succumb to the vagaries of globalised sameness. I'm no 'master', no Michaelangelo, no Titian, but I do what I do. What if people said to Sidney Nolan, you can't paint like that! No one buys abstract expressionistic images of Ned Kelly. Boy would our culture be the poorer for it.
So I say, Stuff globalisation, stuff blandness and stuff mediocrity. This grumpy old fart artist, is going to paint what he paints. Robo Roos rule! No Frangipanis, no stylised Buddhas, no wishy washy concoctions of colours to compliment the drapes and new sofa. I want to be known for art with a soul. For a painting with a message, be it humour or politics, social statement or
lunacy! Sure, I may become extinct, but hey, fossils get dug up into the future and displayed in museums, for the educational, cultural and social benefit of all! Shane Links to art related sites and points of interest here. |
If there is one anecdote I can use about collecting art,
it would be "it is a steep learning curve." This is not to say, that it isn't an enjoyable and enriching experience, but it is definitely a learning curve. That is the reason behind me putting together these following pages. To add my small modicum of knowledge, gleaned over the last 12 years in the art game, to help people who are new to the art world, have a grasp of some of the
fundamentals of this enigmatic but highly enriching culture. While I don't profess to be an expert in the art game, I am simply offering my opinion and hope people will take it as that. If you are seriously investing money in art, I suggest that, as in all things, get a second or even third opinion. There are many sharks in the ocean, that can smell your wallet a mile off!
So read on.... and enjoy. Shane Links to art related sites and points of interest here. |
