Finding Artistic Value

Artistic value is a common question of society.  How do we know if one piece of artwork is more valuable than another?  Typically it is thought that the older the piece of art, the more valuable it is financially. The main reasoning for this is the originality of the painting is more authentic.  As time goes on we have more ideas already in circulation and the options for innovation and originality seem to become slimmer.  However, this freshness and creativity can also be considered historic value rather than artistic, because, at the time, that type of artistic outbreak would have been a change to society’s view of art.  This would put the basis for artistic value entirely on how the piece of art looks. Unfortunately, every person on the planet has a different opinion as to what art looks good, and what art looks bad.  This can make it pretty difficult to find a standard for measuring the worth of someone’s artwork.  What we have done with our paintings and sculptures is find a common majority’s opinion and then put a price tag on the piece.  This amount tends to increase once the artist is deceased because their artwork can never be reproduced.  Someone could simply make a copy, but the picture always looks a little different because the original artist naturally has more emotion and passion for their art.  There is a sense of personality and genuine emotion in an original piece of art that is lacking in copies, because the original artist sacrificed part of them to create that piece.  That’s also why it is easier to find the value of art after the artist is dead.  If a new artist comes out with a piece, no one is spending time researching their work and their life to find the inspiration and meaning of the art.  It would be easier to do it that way, but humans are just funny and we procrastinate until it is clearly too late and the person is dead.  Personally I think that all art has the same value, because whether I think it is pretty or not, each artist has contributed a part of their heart and soul so that I could see their artwork.  The price tag is always added later once the piece has been studied and evaluated and understood.  If there is no understanding, there is no value.

The History of the Artistic World

Art history is a very controversial subject to study.  The difficulty arises when we try to interpret what the artist was trying to portray.  Sometimes the meaning is very clear, and, more often than not, it is hidden behind the artwork itself. All of art has a story that the artist is trying to tell, and the reason we study their art is to discover that meaning.  Artwork really marks the beginning of time for humanity as we know it.  All the way back to the cavemen, their artwork portrayed the types of activities and rituals that they performed in their everyday lives. I think that is what a lot of artists are trying to do with their work.  When there is no other way to document what you are experiencing, it is expressed in art.

Personally it is a lot easier for me to express what I’m feeling and doing through art. I dance. Dancing is an expressive way for me to get my energy and emotions out. However, a lot of my choreography actually masks the truth of the emotions.  It feels safer to put a piece of myself on display if I know that what other people see is just a pretty picture, but I can see the escape of emotion every time I see the piece.  I think that this is also accurate for the artists of the past.  Their art tells their story to anyone who is willing to look past the pretty picture and see the true meaning of the art. So studying the works of art from the past is a pretty good idea so we know how life really was for people in those times.

With that, the adage “a picture is worth a thousand words” comes into play.  No one really enjoys sitting down and reading a huge textbook about the past.  It can be done, but we all know that gets boring really quickly.  It makes it a lot easier mentally to learn about a person, or a group of historic people, through pictures or music or sculptures or whatever the case may be.  I think psychologically it doesn’t seem like as much work to interpret artwork as it does to read a textbook.  And just one in depth painting could save a lot of reading and writing time, and who doesn’t love that?

Now while it’s true that we all have to study art history in school, it is a little bit tougher to carry that over into a job and career.  The most popular, and easily accessible, job for art history majors is usually combined with a philosophy or psychology minor.  These types of people are very good in the marketing and advertising world because they are aware of the types of art that people are interested in depending on the trends of society, and what specific artistic qualities will produce the necessary effect on customers in product marketing.  It seems a little plain to be an advertising agent to an outside eye, but the advertising world is pretty manipulative of a consumer’s mind’s eye.

This type of finesse can only be discovered through a huge amount if critical thinking and concentrated interpretation.  Most of the time people get their opinions from professional art critics.  Critical thinking itself is “disciplined thinking that is clear, rational, open-minded, and informed by evidence.”  This is a necessity if you are trying to discover the inner workings of another artist through their works and displays.  Every possibility has to be considered and evaluated before an educated guess can even be suggested.  No one likes it when people jump to conclusions, whether they be professional art critics or just simple museum patrons.  Everyone can have an opinion, but the validity of that opinion varies based on the knowledge behind their judgment.

Currently I am looking forward to learning about architecture from the past to the present.  I think that the types of buildings that built shows a significant difference between the class of the people and the types of things that they valued and what technology meant in their time, maybe just how to build a domed roof, versus our new technology now, being smaller and smaller electronics.  Not quite as majestic as architecture but I don’t think we have quite enough room in the cities to start experimenting with oddly shaped buildings.  A lot of people will argue with me that architecture isn’t really an art. However, if that architect hadn’t spent the time and effort visualizing ad sketching and making models and overseeing the construction, in essence committing their heart to the building, your office building could be crumbling to the ground.  We tend to fail to appreciate this art because it isn’t on display in a gallery or being presented on stage.  Architecture is just a part of our everyday lives, making it actually that much more valuable to us as a whole society.  The buildings we live and work in tell a lot about us and someday we will be considered art history too.