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No. 2. Voice From the Studio. The Newsletter of The Art of Felix Berroa. Long Island, New York. 1998

Para abrir la version en español de este Newsletter apriete aqui.

 

The Artist in the Modern Society

(El Artista en la Sociedad Moderna)

Be an artist in any of the area of the visual art is no easy. To be enrollment in the "...hazards of a ungratefull career that only recompense a few choosed..." is somenthing that every person has to think very well before start.

Be an artist is mean to be a "chronic persistent", a dreamer, an idealist (no matter if the person is philosophically an idealist or an materialist) trying to make reality her/he dream.

There is a lot of ideas forming about what is art and what an artist is suppouse do or fallows. Erroneous or no, helping to create a foggy and cobwebs in the popular "better understanding of the art and the art worker, the "professional" in Art: the artist.

There is many histories and popular legends, repeated mouth to mauth, and thru the printed resources, about the artist and his behaviors.

I remember hear thru my childhood about the artists: "painters, musicians and poets are a litle crazy". "All painters die poor, late their works cost a fortune." Etc. The wide world Art History is sprinkle with picturesques and extravagants artists that help to create those imagens.

Some examples are the case of Oskar Kokoschka, who decide to live in the forest away from the civilization. To no feeling in a total loneliness, he order to an artisan -crafter puppet-maker Hermine Moos-, the construction of a doll, natural size, in the image of a real women, the one he love (Alma Mahler) Alma/kokoschka. He give specific instructions by writing to the artisan about how the doll has to be make, with her particular atributes.

Paul Gaugin abandon his wife and children to travel to Tahiti were he setle down. In this nature paradise he create a production of paintings that make history in the universal art. His contemporary Vincent Van Gogh, cut hinself an ear in a madness moments. Also, he die poor -he sold in this total life only one painting-, unmarried and no children. Today, the Van Gogh paintings are value, each one, millions of dollars.

No to away from Long Island, is the case of William H. Johnson, who die poor and anonymous in Central Islip. Three decades late of his dead, some institution got possession of more than a thousand paintings of this artist abandon in an storage and showing with a lot of publicity to the public. Only after that his name got known.

Also, no to far from now, was the case of Jean Michel Basquiat, son of Hatians parents in New York, who become a drug adict and sleeping in carton boxs in the ground of Central Park in New York. his Hatian hereditage of primitivism arts and his street graffiti art experiences thru his reberd life turn hin in an extraordinary creator. He Died of drug overdosis in his mid twenty lefting ready a name in the art. The years of the 70's help him. Was a perfect decade for the art. He become very close friend of Andy Wohol, who also haved a extraordinary life full of surprises.

The differents society have artists that submergeds in confusions or failures as "human being thinkers", hiden theirself in the alcohol or drugs, trying to find theirself with some sources of inspiration in the wrong place. Sometime work for them, but also destroy them, as Basquia, Jackson Pollock, etc.

Becouse the art can't be define in an abjetive way, like the mathematics, the fisic, the chemistry, etc., but thru a cience like the AESTHETICS, the THOUGHT take differents routes thru the history, becouse of it abstract and pluralist characters.

Sometime the routes differs from epoch to epoch. Example: impressionism were born opposite to the realism; expressionism figurative against the impressionism; he expressionism abstract against the expressionism figurative, etc..

There are many movements: ralism classic, impresionism, art nouveau, art abstract, action art, art cinetic, povera art, informal art, cubism, constructivism, conceptual art, subrrealism, expressionism figurative, expressionism abstract, funcionalism, futurism, dadaism, manierism, neoimpressionism, new realism or photorealism, magic realism, realism socialist, symbolism, etc.. In our time, the most popular art movement or styles are: expressionism figurative, expressionism abstract, new realism, others.

In any of those movements or styles, the art subjectivity is allway present. The art subjectivity give anyone the freedom to painting or writing in an publication werever come from his/her concience. Logically, as I mention, there is no a cience or instrument to measure cientifically the value of an art work or an art statement. But, by the personal experience, we fallow artists, authors, art critics. etc....

Becouse of that sujectivity, a person may observe a painting and expressed wonderfuls about it. Other person may stand in from of the same painting and give an evaluation of poor and insuficient. (I see that all time, specially in the "juries prizes" from two or three jurors. As the political party fallowers, this juror will give the good vote depending of his own backgraund: traditional art -mostly landscapes-, modern art, etc.)

As part of all those drama, also are create create the belief that the artist do not suppouse think in money at the time of the creation of a work of art, so he/her do not transform in a "commercial artist". (Everybody can think in money when they do what they studies or know, but we don't). Nevertheless, Leonard da Vinci, Miguel Angel, Rafael, Pablo Picasso, Botero, Salvador Dali, Stella, and Andy Wohol, and thousands artists from past and contemporaries making true fortune with their art. They owned international fame no only becouse they were or are true masters, but due also to their commercial success. In other words, behind any successful artist, there is a great merchant, or a least have working with him someone with those qualities, -the "marchant de art"-. When the artist do not have bussiness experiences and there is no a "marchant de art" working with him, the artist is ignored and live poor in his time. I was good, laureled in the future when he are dust and bones under ground.

Some people want to promote the idea that the artist has to be a kind of martir. In other words, in the image of a hungry child that seated at the door of the house cross street from his poor home at the dinner time. When the family ready to dinner see the child with dry lips and waterly eyes, they offer him food, but the child, in an action of pride learned from his parents, reject it, even though in his mind is dying for.

Without the commercial success, the greater ideas will stayed in small pieces of paper or canvas (as I did in 1979-1980 in Puerto Rico). That is the representation of poverty in the material acquisition, specially in this word of today, could and mathemactic.

Being a "professional artist" is having the KNOWLEDGES AND HAND SKILLS requared to create works of art. To obtain the "knowledges" and "hand-skills" the candidate has to go to the classrooms and workshoprooms of a professional center, college or university, to get trainings, possible, in the same period of time to be needed for the training of a doctor, a lawyer or an engeneer. So, is logic that an artist expected an econmic remuneration for his/her work. WHY "HIDE" THAT PURPOSE? I hide that for more than fifteen years, into the ending of 1996. Thru all those years, I survive by my teaching work in the Dominican Republic, and in USA, by working for the silk screen industries. I separated my "living" work from my "creation works". (Very tipical combination in our art world).

When someone get hungry go to a restaurant or a supermarket and buy food. Those who feeling pain paid a doctor consult. We paid to a lawyer or engeneer when in a need. Also to the carpenter, the plumber and the mechanic. We paid exorbitant prices to see or hear a singer, that is no more than a "songs repeater" or "interpreter" of what other write and compose. Also to the sportman, shose salaries are today an exageration.

In short, to anybody who offer a service exchange by an economic remuneration.

The art is a "voluntary" human expression, transformed in a product to be exchange by other: the money. The art is destinate to be instaled in any place where inhabit or transiting human being: homes, offices, buildings, streets-avenues, parks, subways, etc. By historic circunstances, museums is the last place where are going to rest, to be preserve for the actual and the furure generations.

Those no rule by the "exchange system" are considered "amateur" or "hobby artists", "artist of moments", Why? Becouse they do no "profess". I mean, they do not work art as a "PROFESSION".

Nobody studies a career of five or eight years to please him/her self, but to serve others as a communicator of feelings, the human sensibility in the territory of the visual art.

Felix Berroa, 1997.

All works published here are copyright 1987-2005

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Check this link: "The Business of Art: Evidence from the Art Market"

 

 

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All

NEWSLETTERS

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Index of NEWSLETTERS

2005: No. 10.- "For Who I create my Art?"

2004: No. 9.- "Artist's Style - El Estilo del Artista".

2003: No. 8.- "Family". (Soon)

2002: No. 7.- "Dream Hunters". (Soon)

2001: No. 6.- "Carefully When you Visit an Outdoor Art Show"

2000: No. 5.-"A thousand Birds for a Dreamer Girl"

1999: No. 4.- (Soon)

1998 No. 3.- "The Music Maker"

1997: No. 2.- "Bodies and Thoughts Ecstasy"

1999: No. 1.- The Artist in the Modern Society

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CAREFULLY WHEN YOU VISIT AN OUTDOOR SHOW. IT'S NOT ALLWAY WHAT YOU SEE. IT'S HOW YOU SEE.

In the photos, an idea of two differents way of exhibit art. A left, an outdoor show. At right, a museum. The painting still the same, but with different value "in money". When you visit an outdoor art show, be smart. "See" the paintings, observe for quality of the techniques, materials, composition, subjects, ... used. Ask for education background, exhibit backgraound.