Coming to a Conclusion About Art

    I started research project because I have always dreamed about owning my own art gallery. I wanted to know how art galleries gain their success and how the value of different types of artwork is valued.

Source: http://afremov.com

    During my first blog post, I wanted to know how canvas splattered with paint could be worth hundreds, even thousands of dollars. According to the Huffington Post, the high price of art has to do with the high demand of specific artists. Like everything else in the world, scarcity is a real factor in determining the price of art, especially if the artist is dead. I went on to discover that according to the International Conference of Nueroscience, studies show that the brain releases hormones associated with pleasure and excitement when looking at a piece of art is visually appealing. That helped explain to me why so many people become so enthralled and obsessed with certain pieces of artwork which further supported why the prices of certain pieces can range in the millions of dollars.

After researching the difference between sculptures and paintings, I began to unearth the foundation and history of art in our culture. From prehistoric times, artwork has always been an important component to the development of society. People created sculptures to serve as representations of Gods and they would praise and pray to these statues.

Throughout my research, it is evident that art is unlike anything else sold on the market. It is valued not only based on the skill of the artist, which can be subjective to different viewers, but it is valued based on the powerful emotion it evokes. 

The History and Evolution of Sculpting

My favorite thing to do while exploring new cities is find different sculptures or statues adorning the sidewalks for the public to enjoy. Looking at these creative pieces of art, I always think to myself, who came up with the brilliant idea to sculpt large pieces of rock into beautiful pieces of rock and when?

Source: http://paigebradley.com/

As it turns out, the art of sculpting dates all the way back to the prehistoric age. Actually, sculpting is the oldest art of our time. At first, sculpting had a more practical use. At the dawn of civilization, sculptures were made to provide magical powers to hunters as they went out to catch the food for their people. Soon after, sculptures evolved to have much more meaning. Studies show that early civilizations created sculptures to provide spiritual support for their religion. These sculptures were used and celebrated in rituals everyday. Men and women alike would honor, worship, and pray to these pieces of art in hopes of cleansing themselves from the evils of the world.

As time went on and society evolved, sculpting evolved with it. In the time of the ancient Greeks, statues were no longer used to represent a spirit or higher-power but instead to depict their Greek Heroes or Gods in a more intelligent manner. This was the period in which sculpting evolved from abstraction to naturalism meaning the art changed from being simple to more realistic.

It is evident that as history took its course, the art of sculpting changed with the times. Now, as we live in a more diverse and accepting society, the types of sculptures artists can design and construct are limitless and more people are appreciative of the different things they depict or represent.

After researching about the history and evolution of this art, I now understand why people are so naturally inclined to appreciate the beauty of sculpting; our ancestors believed this art to be the most closely related to God and the heavens above.

Painting Vs. Sculpture.. Which is the more successful art form?

There are two major types of artwork in our world; painting on a canvas, and molding different materials into a sculpture. Having a natural inclination and interest towards the arts, I've always wondered, which of the two artists are more successful or praised for their pieces, painters, or sculptors?

Source: http://www.gunnzone.org/

As it turns out, I am not the only one pondering this question. The competition between painters and sculptures dates back to the times of the Renaissance. It was during this period of artistic and intellectual rebirth that artists and art critics began arguing which art form is better.

Paintings: Art critics of the 17th century argued that painting was better for depicting a more complex narrative; an ability that sculptures are obviously lacking. Looking at a painting is like looking through your kitchen window at an entire scene. Painters can express a story through their work and art critiques states this requires more mental ability than carving a sculpture.

Sculptures: On the other hand, Michealangelo, a great artist during the times of the Renaissance, argued that a painting is only good because of its attempts to imitate the three dimensional qualities of a sculpture. 

After seeing art critiques defend both styles of art, their arguments ultimately seem so pointless to me. It is hard to compare the art of sculpting to the art of painting because both styles are so different. It's like trying to compare poms and cheer. Though it's there, the rivalry of the pommers and cheerleaders is superficial because we are different teams who do different things. The cheerleaders are more involved and focused on their gymnastic skill while pommers are focused on dancing and performing. The rivalry between the poms and cheerleading team was started when we both attempted to overcome the stereotype that we aren't a "real" sport. The thing is, we both put so much work into what we do and, at the end of the day, our goal is the same. We want to support our red devils and entertain the crowd while having fun. So, it is just a waste of time for students to compare the two teams or claim one is better than the other, because they are too different. I feel like art is the same way.

Though the rivalry between the two types of art still exists today, art critics around the world can agree on one thing; the best works are those in which sculptures imitate paintings and paintings imitate the three dimensional qualities of a sculpture. Though painters and sculptors are praised for their own unique qualities, they are more or less the same. They are artists. The argument was originally implemented to help recast painters and sculptors as intellectuals rather than craftsmen on the level of carpenters. In my opinion, it is too difficult to distinguish which type of artwork is better than the other. Instead, we should praise artwork for how it stands on its own, not compared to different pieces.

Future research: what are the different types of sculptures and what makes them valuable?

Art and Emotions

I can vividly remember the first time I experienced professional art. I was six years old skipping down the streets of Michigan Avenue, helping my dad pick out an anniversary present for my mom. We had just moved to our house in Clarendon Hills and he wanted to buy her a painting, to not only adorn our new house, but to represent their love and our strong family values. We walked into the Atlas Galleries, and my young, unexposed eyes became overwhelmed with wonder. My dad and I walked around for a bit until we came across this one piece by Markus Pierson. I remember a visceral sensation in the pit of my stomach. I felt love, hope, courage, dedication, and hard-work just looking at this painting. Me and my dad shared a knowing glance and he bought it without saying another word. This picture still hangs in our hallway today and I still feel warm and fuzzy every time I look at it. 

So, what caused me, a 6 year old child with no prior education or knowledge of art, to be so evoked when looking at this painting? A discussion at the International Conference on Neuroesthetics held at the Berkely Gallery of Art answered just this. According to American Art Critic Blake Gopnik, "when people are shown images they consider to be beautiful, certain bits of their brain go wild with delight." The same can be said when the brain is shown images that are ugly. In this instance, the brain evokes a different kind of emotion. Either way, we can thank our brains for the visceral sensation we feel when looking at artwork.

Source: http://imgs.inkfrog.com/

So, how do emotions link to the success of artists and the value of their work? Consider The Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci, one of the most famous paintings of all time. Neuroesthetics attending the International Conference of Art might argue that the mysterious expression depicted on the Mona Lisa heats up our emotional center. It is a natural human response to try and interpret why the Mona Lisa is smiling the way she is. It is this mystery and this sense of wonder evoked when looking at the painting that made it so famous. In my last blog, I discussed the value of the Mona Lisa in correlation to the fame and respect of the artist. However, studies show there are more factors playing a role in arts value, like emotion.

Future research: The difference between the value of sculptures and the value of paintings.

The Value of Art

Walking through an art gallery, I always wondered how a canvas splattered with paint or a simple looking sculpture can be  worth thousands, maybe even millions of dollars.

Source: http://artfcity.com/

The answer to this question is seemingly simple- it all has to do with the basic law of supply and demand. According to art gallery owner, author, and art consultant, Michelle Gaugy from the Huffington Post, the high price of art has to do with the high demand of specific artists. Like everything else in this world, scarcity is a real factor in determining the price of art, especially if the artist is dead. 

Gaugy explains that a dead artist, like Van Gough will never make another piece of art thus making the supply of his artwork very limited causing the demand to be even greater. Though I agree with Gaugy on this, I think the same thing can be said about living artists. For example, when Leonardo da Vinci was alive, he did not go running around painting hundreds of Mona Lisa’s. He only painted one. The supply of living artists’ artwork is not as limited as the deceased, but the simple fact that they are creating unique, one-of-a-kind pieces that cannot be replicated is very important to remember when thinking about its value.

Another factor that determines the value of art is the prestige and fame of the artist. According to Gaugy, if the artist is publicly praised for their work and their work is displayed where thousands of people will recognize it, the value of that work and the respect of the artist will increase. Though I do not disagree with this point, I find it interesting. Let’s say me and Gerhard Richter, an admired German artist,  go to hobby lobby and both buy a twenty dollar canvas and twenty dollars worth of paint. The two of of sit in my garage and start throwing paint onto our canvases then post them on the internet to be sold. Obviously, if we put these paintings on the market, his will sell for much more money than mine, even though we spent the same about of money and time creating it. This is because people recognize, respect, and trust Richter’s artistic insight and ability better than mine.

To help you better understand this, think about ballet and football. Though ballerinas are dedicating just as much if not more time and hard-work as football players, players in the NFL are making 50 times more money than a dancer in the Joffery Ballet. This is not because football is better or harder or more entertaining, it is just different and the majority of our country seems to prefer the entertainment of football rather than dance. Not that people do not like watching dance, it is just not as popular. The same can be said about artists and their art. The value and cost of a painting increases when an artist is more popular because more people are demanding of their work. That does not mean less-known artists are working any less or are worse at creating art, they are just creating different art that isn’t as appealing the public.

Future Question: Which kind of art is the most valuable in America and why? (paintings versus sculptures, contemporary versus modern art etc.)

Art and Art Galleries

Source: http://unhyphenatedamerica.org

• Briefly explain why you are interested in studying your topic: I have been interested in the arts ever since I was a little girl. I love music, dance, and especially artwork. I was always so interested in the different techniques of different artists and I want to know why some pieces of artwork are more valuable or more expensive than others.

• The overall question I plan on answering by the end of the project: What makes certain pieces of art and art galleries valuable?

• Sub questions I will need to answer in order to answer the overall question: Art history of Europe: how has art developed and what makes art successful throughout the years. Art history of America: how has art developed in the states and what makes it successful. Who are the most successful artists? What makes them so successful and why is their art so valuable? When did they start creating art? Why do people create art?  What are the most valuable pieces of art? Why are they so valuable? Are different kinds of art more valuable than others? (sculptures vs paintings) Are different kind of paintings more valuable than others? (water color vs pastel) Why is art so expensive? Which art galleries are most successful? Is it because of the type of artwork they display? Is it the location? What does it take to open an art gallery? What kind of skills are needed?

• My plan of research (what specific Library Databases, specific websites, names of authors, people, etc. will I pursue to find the answers to the questions above): http://www.whudat.de/top-20-most-expensive-paintings-in-the-world/ http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/02/20/expensive-art-_n_6709408.html

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