Part of me is surprised it has taken this long for a network to come up with a reality competition show for artists. Chefs, fashion designers, hair stylists, singers, comedians, dancers ... all these professions had a way to be "the next big star" but not artists. Well, Bravo bit the bullet. The new show Work of Art, which is executive produced by Sarah Jessica Parker (I guess high end fashion wasn't doing it for her anymore), airs on Wednesdays on Bravo. The winner of this competition will get his/her own exhibit at the Brooklyn Museum of Art and $100,000 in art supplies. These are both amazing prizes and I'm so glad that some artist will get this opportunity.
But part of me also cringes at the idea of this show.
Not to put artists on a higher pedestal than the professions that have thus far been covered by reality TV, but I can't help but think this show is slightly off base. I love that it's giving an even larger audience insight into the world of art and hopefully even inspiring new artists along the way.
However, after watching only seven minutes of the first episode -- so yes, maybe some of these comments are too rash -- I already have my reservations about what this show is doing.
For one thing, the art world as I see it is a community. Yes, there's the art market that makes some artists more "valuable" than others, but they're not meant to be pinned one against the other. Every artist I've ever met embraces his or her fellow artist. They support each other, collaborate with one another and grow from that. Sure there are art prizes where there are winners and losers, but at the end of the day, most artists will agree, it's not about the prize.
Secondly -- and I know this would be true for singing, cooking, fashion designing and an endless list of talents -- one or two judges are not enough to decide what is "good" and what is "bad" art. OK, I think most people could agree on what is good or bad singing or cooking. Comedy is a little more subjective, and fashion is somewhere in between. But art is the end all be all of the discussion of good vs. bad.
I think what currently has me a bit annoyed is one judge's comment: "My approach to art is purely physical. I usually know within the first split second if it is a great work of art." Ahh, this is where we differ, and it's probably because of my love for the history of art and the story behind a work. There are so many times when I look at a painting (sorry that I tend to talk about that medium the most, but it's what I know better) and think, "Hmm, what's going on here?" It's not until I know more about the artist or what the artist was thinking that I appreciate that piece. And I know that this "method" has its flaws. Art should be universal, right? You shouldn't have to know about the artist or what he or she was thinking or any of that, correct? Well, OK, but you miss so much of the point if you don't care about that stuff. Even when I know the background of a work, I still might not like it aesthetically, but at least I can find value and appreciation in it in other ways. Because whether art is visually pleasing is so subjective, so personal and so non universal.
All that being said, I think I'll play the rest of Episode 1 (again, I've only watched seven minutes of it) and see how it pans out. And I urge you to watch the show, too. Maybe you'll discover a new artist that you love (winner or not).
But part of me also cringes at the idea of this show.
Not to put artists on a higher pedestal than the professions that have thus far been covered by reality TV, but I can't help but think this show is slightly off base. I love that it's giving an even larger audience insight into the world of art and hopefully even inspiring new artists along the way.
However, after watching only seven minutes of the first episode -- so yes, maybe some of these comments are too rash -- I already have my reservations about what this show is doing.
For one thing, the art world as I see it is a community. Yes, there's the art market that makes some artists more "valuable" than others, but they're not meant to be pinned one against the other. Every artist I've ever met embraces his or her fellow artist. They support each other, collaborate with one another and grow from that. Sure there are art prizes where there are winners and losers, but at the end of the day, most artists will agree, it's not about the prize.
Secondly -- and I know this would be true for singing, cooking, fashion designing and an endless list of talents -- one or two judges are not enough to decide what is "good" and what is "bad" art. OK, I think most people could agree on what is good or bad singing or cooking. Comedy is a little more subjective, and fashion is somewhere in between. But art is the end all be all of the discussion of good vs. bad.
I think what currently has me a bit annoyed is one judge's comment: "My approach to art is purely physical. I usually know within the first split second if it is a great work of art." Ahh, this is where we differ, and it's probably because of my love for the history of art and the story behind a work. There are so many times when I look at a painting (sorry that I tend to talk about that medium the most, but it's what I know better) and think, "Hmm, what's going on here?" It's not until I know more about the artist or what the artist was thinking that I appreciate that piece. And I know that this "method" has its flaws. Art should be universal, right? You shouldn't have to know about the artist or what he or she was thinking or any of that, correct? Well, OK, but you miss so much of the point if you don't care about that stuff. Even when I know the background of a work, I still might not like it aesthetically, but at least I can find value and appreciation in it in other ways. Because whether art is visually pleasing is so subjective, so personal and so non universal.
All that being said, I think I'll play the rest of Episode 1 (again, I've only watched seven minutes of it) and see how it pans out. And I urge you to watch the show, too. Maybe you'll discover a new artist that you love (winner or not).