Who Gets to Be a Real Artist (Amateur & Outsider Art): Crash Course Art History #13
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Date: 2024-07-26
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Comments and reviews: 12
JaeJekyll
Thanks for this! I try to tell people you can't tell somebody that something they made isn't art and that they aren't an artist. The only difference between anybody making art versus a professional artist is that they make money from their art. Whether the art is good or not is entirely a matter of opinion and we can't use opinions to make art rules without stifling creativity. I knew so many artists in grade school that quit because our classically trained art teacher didn't think the cartoonish or anime styled works were good enough. Please do not crush anyone's creativity because of your opinions on their work. If you do not like an art piece, please quietly move on and find something you do like. Support and celebrate the artists you do like before they die!
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Thanks for this! I try to tell people you can't tell somebody that something they made isn't art and that they aren't an artist. The only difference between anybody making art versus a professional artist is that they make money from their art. Whether the art is good or not is entirely a matter of opinion and we can't use opinions to make art rules without stifling creativity. I knew so many artists in grade school that quit because our classically trained art teacher didn't think the cartoonish or anime styled works were good enough. Please do not crush anyone's creativity because of your opinions on their work. If you do not like an art piece, please quietly move on and find something you do like. Support and celebrate the artists you do like before they die!
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bradwatson7324
Drip paintings are not amateur or pro art. They aren't art (fine art) at all. They're okay for wallpaper, but they aren't art. Read Ayn Rand along with Louis Torres and Michelle Marder Kamhi for a good explanation of their definition of art: Art is a selective re-creation of reality according to an artist's fundamental values. I would add that with all of abstract expressionism, there's nothing to contemplate. One takes a brief notice and then moves along because there's nothing to give it a meaningful structure. It's the musical equivalent of banging on a keyboard -- just a bunch of random sound. Or of a collection of random words that claims to be a poem.
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Drip paintings are not amateur or pro art. They aren't art (fine art) at all. They're okay for wallpaper, but they aren't art. Read Ayn Rand along with Louis Torres and Michelle Marder Kamhi for a good explanation of their definition of art: Art is a selective re-creation of reality according to an artist's fundamental values. I would add that with all of abstract expressionism, there's nothing to contemplate. One takes a brief notice and then moves along because there's nothing to give it a meaningful structure. It's the musical equivalent of banging on a keyboard -- just a bunch of random sound. Or of a collection of random words that claims to be a poem.
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DavidJamesHenry
John Green, in The Anthropocene Reviewed, in his review of the cave paintings at Lascoux, said,
They remind us that the humans of the past were as human as we are. Their hands indistinguishable from ours. These communities hunted and gathered and there were no large caloric surpluses so every healthy person would’ve had to contribute to the acquisition of food and water. And yet somehow, they still made time to create art, almost as if art isn’t optional for humans.
I've kept that specific passage tucked closely to my heart through the years.
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John Green, in The Anthropocene Reviewed, in his review of the cave paintings at Lascoux, said,
They remind us that the humans of the past were as human as we are. Their hands indistinguishable from ours. These communities hunted and gathered and there were no large caloric surpluses so every healthy person would’ve had to contribute to the acquisition of food and water. And yet somehow, they still made time to create art, almost as if art isn’t optional for humans.
I've kept that specific passage tucked closely to my heart through the years.
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crash_course
This made me tear up because i have often felt like my art was not good enough because i even though i had some formal art training, i didn't get a degree and make art a specific way to me and my taste that is outside today's cultural norm online. There's such a heavy focus on realism in the online space and when your art looks different than that, it is often not as valued highly because it looks like not as much time or thought went into the piece when that's not the case at all.
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This made me tear up because i have often felt like my art was not good enough because i even though i had some formal art training, i didn't get a degree and make art a specific way to me and my taste that is outside today's cultural norm online. There's such a heavy focus on realism in the online space and when your art looks different than that, it is often not as valued highly because it looks like not as much time or thought went into the piece when that's not the case at all.
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Wreckonning
It's interesting how to concept of Ameteur and Professional have swapped. Amateurs used to be people that did artwork for the sole purpose of creating artwork, while Professionals were those who did work by commission and under the guidance of a patron.
Now, artists who work under patronage or for commercial work are considered amateur and outsiders, while those who work 'solely for the art' (let's be honest, it's a paycheck) are often touted as the true artists.
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It's interesting how to concept of Ameteur and Professional have swapped. Amateurs used to be people that did artwork for the sole purpose of creating artwork, while Professionals were those who did work by commission and under the guidance of a patron.
Now, artists who work under patronage or for commercial work are considered amateur and outsiders, while those who work 'solely for the art' (let's be honest, it's a paycheck) are often touted as the true artists.
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DavidJamesHenry
I have and always will say that if someone makes any art and presents it to the public, they are an artist. Unfortunately, being an artist isn't enough in a world built on capitalism and marketing. You need to break in to whatever art industry you're aspiring to or else it will never become a career. Which is a shame, because it limits human life and experience to only that which makes a profit.
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I have and always will say that if someone makes any art and presents it to the public, they are an artist. Unfortunately, being an artist isn't enough in a world built on capitalism and marketing. You need to break in to whatever art industry you're aspiring to or else it will never become a career. Which is a shame, because it limits human life and experience to only that which makes a profit.
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crash_course
This is getting to the part of art I hate. Critics choose art, not on the art itself, but on the artist. She's not trained, she's an amateur, but his work is brilliant. In my amateur mind, art should be independent of the artist. The emotions I feel are primal, and if art speaks to those urges, then I consider it art. The artist shouldn't be part of the consideration.
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This is getting to the part of art I hate. Critics choose art, not on the art itself, but on the artist. She's not trained, she's an amateur, but his work is brilliant. In my amateur mind, art should be independent of the artist. The emotions I feel are primal, and if art speaks to those urges, then I consider it art. The artist shouldn't be part of the consideration.
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bigpurplepops
To be blatantly honest; the people of people who try to demean others by saying they aren't real artists just try to make their own subpar work seem better. I tend to stop considering them as good artists on the spot.
If you want to bring subjective standards into judgement; don't be surprised when you don't meet my standards.
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To be blatantly honest; the people of people who try to demean others by saying they aren't real artists just try to make their own subpar work seem better. I tend to stop considering them as good artists on the spot.
If you want to bring subjective standards into judgement; don't be surprised when you don't meet my standards.
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thecount5559
Before I even watch this, no it's not amateur. It was deliberate thought out and was created as a part of an entire series of work. You can't call that amateur if you make your life's work out of it.
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Before I even watch this, no it's not amateur. It was deliberate thought out and was created as a part of an entire series of work. You can't call that amateur if you make your life's work out of it.
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gibberishname
the most surprising shame of it all isn't that Sobel was ignored because of misogyny, it's that Jackson Pollock _was_ taken seriously.
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the most surprising shame of it all isn't that Sobel was ignored because of misogyny, it's that Jackson Pollock _was_ taken seriously.
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colonelweird
For the love of god - VISIT THE AMERICAN VISIONARY ART MUSEUM IN BALTIMORE! For me, it was the best museum experience I've ever had.
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For the love of god - VISIT THE AMERICAN VISIONARY ART MUSEUM IN BALTIMORE! For me, it was the best museum experience I've ever had.
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crash_course
I just LOVE this series. I can’t help feeling moved by all these stories of lesser (but definitely no less competent) artists.
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I just LOVE this series. I can’t help feeling moved by all these stories of lesser (but definitely no less competent) artists.
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