I watched the Georgia O'Keefe movie last night. Enjoyed the art and the somewhat melodramatic depiction of her life with Alfred Stieglitz. Having read a biography years ago (& which I cannot locate in my stacks!), I realize that they were both extraordinary personalities, each difficult in their own way and unable to maintain exclusive relationships. That said, one of the things Stieglitz said has given me pause, and distracted me to the point of crankiness all day today. He was discussing promoting O'Keefe and her work which more or less involved finding a patron willing to use his or her prominence to validate O'Keefe's professional standing. He told her: "work is not art until someone rich buys it". Well, this brought up lots of questions, if not demons, in my mind. What is art? Who defines expertise/greatness? Does the art cream rise to the top, or is it manipulated by the powers that be?
I know there are artists out there who are blessedy able to work without the rash of questions and doubts that some of us are unable to quell; I am not one of them. I can go on for long periods of time working instinctively, but sooner or later it all catches up with me and I start to question whether or not my efforts are in vain, passing time, amounting to nothing in the great pool of what matters.
This is my 50th blog post. Not a big deal really, but a milestone I marked for myself at the onset. Looking back, I can see that I threw everything against the wall to see what would stick! I have many loves & included them all: digital art, abstract painting, portraits, altered books, multimedia art, collage, (crafty) assemblage, on and on, I love all of it. I realize now that is a huge pool to try and connect with like minded artists. I am sure that some who wandered on to my site & found a mate were dismayed on the next post that bore no resemblance to the last.
Alas, that is my process.
Tonight I have Georgia on my mind. She was a master, an artist of integrity and grit. And yet, at the onset , she did indeed "sell" her soul to what would sell with Stieglitz as the barker. She knew what she was doing/ what she had to do to make her work mainstream, available, and recognizable. There is always that in the other side of art. I really need not concern myself with any of that. I enjoy making art in my little studio in my little corner of the world. But like everyone, in the end, I would like to matter, somehow, some way. As far as blogging goes, I would really like to see more dialogue. More serious inquiry and addressing of artistic issues. That's just me. When I started Cinnamon Studios, my profile picture was a smiling, "I'm nice" photo , replaced by a stencil caricature. Now my portrait is a profile in shadow. I didn't realize until today what that is saying; where I'm at this time 'round. I need to be more reflective, question more, look deeply into shadows. Hopefully, I will take more time to express what I am feeling and to communicate more authentically. That is the goal anyway, for the next 50!
Good art making everyone.
4 comments:
Wow! a lot going on in that art head of yours!
first off, I did not care for the film. I thought it was too hollywood, and too much about their relationship, which was dysfunction at best. I really wanted to know more about her and what made her tick and why she painted what she did, etc....all those things that would probably have delighted artists, but would have bored the general public because they are not creative in the way that we are.
I think if G were alive today she would be playing in mixed media like the rest of us and her posts on her blog would be as varied!
as to the question is it art if doesn't sell...well l would say that she would have had a good retort had she simply said ...well I guess Van Gogh did not create art while he was alive then? the thought that a purchase validates what we do is mind manipulation and coercion. It leads to aberrations of all kinds and corrupts the artist. we begin to create only what we think the public wants and forget to follow our own heart! whew! sorry for the windy post, my dear, but you asked for it!
Congrats on your 50th post Marie. I guess you are a little introspective at the moment, assessing where your blog has led you and the path it's taken. Cat makes some good points about seeking validation of ourselves and our art through purchase and the corruption of the artist's work. Like you my blog shows my artistic wanderings as my art endeavours seem to be in constant flux, but I rather like that. I feel it is true to me. That's how I am. I blog about what has me ticking at this time and where it has led me. I look forward to more reflection and a peek into the shadows for they are interesting too.
I chose to avoid the Hollywood-i-zation of Georgia's life (even tho' I think the world of Jeremy Irons and Joan Allen, I just couldn't do it)...it would only frustrate me. The best book that I own about her is Georgia O'Keeffe: Art and Letters by Jack Cowart, it's available through Amazon. I bought my copy ages ago, read the spots off it, and loved every page. It is full of gorgeous color illustrations spanning her career, a lovely book.
For goodness sakes, what is art? And who are these people who decide what sells and what doesn't? Oy vey, indeed. Your reflection on Steigliz's comment is a normal frustration...the old, "who you know, who you blow" dynamic of getting a foot in the door anywhere. Argh, I hate it. (I'm double damned being a writer and a painter, so I've wound up taking matters in my own hands with the books and just self-publishing them, I'm sick of the gate keepers.) Even when my artwork is selling in the local galleries I feel odd about it, like who am I? Then good grief, I question if the buyer knows what they really have...this piece of me, my life has gone home with them. I can only hope that they cherish it as much as I do. Sometimes I'm relieved when my things don't sell and they come home again so I can enjoy them. Yes, validation is a gnawing need that occasionally has artists banging their heads against the wall asking "Why, why, why?" I'm currently doing the final editing of my second book that I want to publish, I'm nearly making myself batty making it perfect for readers consumption, I've been working on this manuscript for nine years, so making a painting in a day is a delight in comparison! I wouldn't change a thing about my life, I love writing, I love painting, and wouldn't miss it for the world...what a journey I've been on! And you're journey has been lovely as well! I can tell you love your work. Now and then I have to take myself in hand and say..."You do this because you love it."
Think about this too...just through blogging, and connecting to others through the blogs (and other social networks), your artwork, my artwork (an my books)...all of our work that we do because we love to do it, is becoming internationally known, one person at a time. We're more "out there" in the world than ever before, we're not just in our little corner studios. It's so awesome!
One thing I remind myself is that we are women (people) of our time. In Gerogia's time she might have had to do some things to survive as an woman artist. I am so thankful for blogs - finding our like minded ducks on the pond, our tribe. How validating.
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