Customizable Art Originals
It is exclusivity that makes original art extraordinary and puts it at a class by itself, yet the one positive that it could never capture is flexibility. Yes it’s the jewel of an artist’s creations, one of a kind and high quality, but it’s when you need it to fit your space and decor that it often falls short and simply doesn’t.
It is interesting that high end art, of which art originals are part, was never expected to be flexible; even though most of the time it was used as wall decor. So it’s not surprising that many interior designers find dealing with art originals challenging and time consuming as finding the one that fits a space requires an extensive search.
The problem that original art has always faced is that a client can only purchase it once it’s already
- Designed,
- Printed & Framed, and
- Exhibited in a Gallery
If the art’s already printed and framed then it is not flexible and can only fit a particular space.
Therefore, in order to make original art flexible, the process of its creation has to be rearranged such that a Client can provide input prior to the print’s creation.
Up until recently, the only way to do this was by intervening right at the beginning of the process by asking an artist to create a commissioned, original artwork.
The advantage of this approach is that the client has an immense amount of input into the art’s creation. On the other hand, its disadvantage is that the client doesn’t get to see the finished artwork when placing the order and risks getting stuck with an artwork that isn’t to his/her liking.
The No Equivalent Gallery offers an alternative to this approach by exhibiting its artists’ original artworks in an online gallery. The client then browses the art and selects the one he/she likes. It is only then that the artwork is put into its print form, which is customized to the client’s space.
The advantage here is that the original art is made to fit the client’s space and the client gets to see it before purchase. The disadvantage is that if the client wants input into the art’s artistic creation then commissioned art is the way to go.
It is these new methods that push Original Art closer to perfection by making it flexible and personalized.
Art – Brings Out the Child in the Successful
In the world of high stakes business, only the calm, bright, and calculated survive and thrive. This makes it that much more interesting that these same leaders find the child in themselves when they get involved with art.
In its current issue, ARTnews posted a very interesting article describing Norton Simon’s secret bidding signals (recommended read) when he used to go to Christie’s auctions in order to acquire art for his collection. At the same time that Norton Simon put a stamp on the food industry through calculated moves and acquisitions, his unorthodox style when it came to art, his passion, were more like the moves of a child than a cool business leader.
Just one more way and further proof that art brings us closer to our true, pure, selves.
Masterpiece in the Making
Many artworks make their reputation by engaging the public through their genuine beauty. Other artworks draw value from the reputation of their famous creators, the artists. However, for an artwork to achieve the highest honor, to become a masterpiece, it has to have both.
Beauty connects with its audience, brings out emotion, is intimate and inspiring. Beautiful art can foster large followings as the general public finds it appealing and understands its value.
Unfortunately this is not enough.
The art market is unique in that each artwork requires a stamp of approval from “in the know” individuals, rather than the general public, to reach its value potential. These curators, art critics, and galleries often rely on artist reputation in order to provide their endorsement and therefore art by unknown artists often finds it difficult to overcome this hurdle.
On the flip side, some art doesn’t even fit the taste of the most open minded art lover, leaving its value dependent solely on the reputation of its artist. Because the reputation of its artist is established enough, it attracts investors, rather than art lovers, to purchase the art for its potential investment value.
While such art often commands great value, it cannot become a masterpiece until it becomes accepted by the public and this requires intrinsic appeal.
Masterpieces are artworks that create a connection with their audience as well as boast the name of a famous artist. It is parallel to having an interesting design catch your eye and then hearing that its made by a quality brand. Since a famous brand is required for art to be of high value and intrinsic beauty is required for it to be accepted by the public, it is only the combination of the two that puts an artwork on top of the pedestal, immortalizes its creator., and makes for a masterpiece.
Original or Derivative Art
Our search for the ultimate original artwork has brought us to the root of originality, its definition.
Originality (wikipedia) is the aspect of created or invented works by as being new or novel, and thus can be distinguished from reproductions, clones, forgeries, or derivative works.
This definition establishes a complex paradox as an original artwork cannot be a derivative, yet the term is so broad that everything has the potential to be a derivative of something. This is particularly relevant in the art world as the line between unoriginal derivatives of established norms and original works simply inspired by these norms is blurred.
Art is often inspired by existing objects, concepts, forms, or thoughts; those same influences that have led the crafts of countless artists since the dawn of time. We take it for granted that the world around us shapes our thoughts but do not realize that this same influence boxes our minds into reality and makes our thinking less original. People walk on the ground, clouds hover above us, red is red, and blue is not green.
An artwork inspired by such external influence may be argued as unoriginal since it is a derivative of the exact influence that inspired it. If this is the case then we would argue that all human made art is not original as it is created by people and all people are inspired by their surroundings.
Now we have gone too far. The nonexistence of original art, as implied by taking the definition of “derivative work” too literally, is nonsensical and therefore we offer an alternative translation. The critical aspect that separates original art from a derivative work is whether the artwork bends the influences it is based on and presents its audience a new, original perspective. It is about the resulting message, not the origin.
We often applaud art that flies in the face of dominant, and sometimes oppressive, norms and stereotypes as we realize and admire its original perspective. We do not consider it original because it is free external influence, on the contrary, we consider it original because it takes that same influence and provides us an original take on it.
To be original, art need not be uninspired, it should simply be different.
The Culture of Art
Art, just like the people that create it, is shaped by the circumstances of its birth and the path that it takes to reach maturity. It is therefore not surprising that just like the culture of people, art takes on the culture of its creation and stereotypes are quite prevalent.
The childhood of art
Everything has a starting point, whether it is an impressionist painting, a carved statue, or a landscape photograph. This starting point shapes the thinking of all artists in an art medium and sets the path it will take through life.
A painting for example begins as a blank canvas awaiting transformation into a vision. This initial emptiness is like an infant waiting to be molded by its the artist, the parent, through simple impressions, brush strokes.
Photography on the other hand begins with a canvas already filled with an image of reality. Somewhat like adopting a teenager, one that already has an impression of the world, the parent molds this existing image to one fitting their end vision. Fortunately, unlike in the real world, here parents get to influence the initial impression such that, sometimes, it is exactly as the artist intended it to be.
Art coming of age
While the path to maturity depends on the artist, just like all other individuals, artists have their cultures and these cultures are shaped by their mediums of art.
Painters constantly push their canvas as far from its initial blank state as possible. The further the art goes the more skill is evident in its creation and this often instills a culture of “more” rather than “less”.
Photographers on the other hand often have a more minimalistic approach to adjusting their art. The initial impression that the photographer’s canvas starts from is often more than half way to the final creation.
Maturity of art
The initial state of art affects the mentality of its artists and, in turn, affects the art’s ending form. This gives art distinct cultures that are very much byproducts of their mediums. From the ultra realist approach of many photographers to the idealistic forms that many paintings take, art is just like the people that created it. It is a reflection of people’s culture.
Saving the Environment – One Artwork at a Time
As mankind struggles to strike a balance between progress and its environmental consequences, an unlikely hero shows us environment’s natural wonders and reminds us of the importance of making the right choice. This guardian is the world of art, and fine art photography in particular.
The ability of art to capture beauty and inspiration, combined with photography’s strength of documenting its subjects, creates an influential force that makes us conscious of the world around us. Sometimes you do not even notice that you’ve been inspired by an amazing landscape or nature photograph before your mind wonders. Where is it taken? A protected park? A forest away from civilization? Is the wolf in the wild or a zoo?
Documentary inspiration is a positive and powerful combination that influences us to think about that which is beautiful and natural. It is much better than yelling “beware!” in a room of ears deafened by the constant negative warnings that environmentalists often employ.
The discussion of art and its relationship with the environment is even more fitting after last week’s highlight of Ansel Adams, a pioneer of documentary fine art photography. After being inspired during his childhood by the beauty of Yosemite National Park, Adams became as much an environmentalist as he was an artist. Since then, his amazing photography has inspired a large following and influenced many to think of the environment.
It is this simple and positive influence that makes art a natural champion of environmental protection and no cause is more noble.
Ansel Adams – A Giant of Art, Photography
Photo of Ansel Adams (Wikipedia)
It happens only once in a generation that a person arrives to completely revolutionize the accepted norms of the art world. In the twentieth century, this titan was Ansel Adams, a California born photographer that gave photography its artistic identity and made it stand firmly on its own merits.
Before the arrival of Adams, artistic photography was more like an imitation of other mediums than its own art form. The imitation of paintings, through Pictorialism, was popular in the early 20th century and the main accepted art style for photography. Imitating other art mediums did little to contribute to the credibility of photography as its own art medium.
The arrival of Adams changed that.
Utilizing the core strengths of the medium, Adams put photography on the map based on its own strengths. His approach of leaving a photograph unaltered while using exposure, focus, and contrast to achieve spectacular visions (Ansel Adams Gallery) made the art form unmistakably original. This puristic approach put photography on the same artistic level as other mediums of art and, finally, photography stood tall on its own.
Do not get me wrong, the art world is never still, it is ever changing and artists are continuously pushing the boundaries of their art forms. It is just that pioneers such as Adams, the ones that bring credibility to a whole art medium, are so rare that all future artists are lucky to stand on the shoulders of such giants. We should remind ourselves that it hasn’t been that long since fine art photography was nothing more than a shadow of paintings but, thanks to Adams, this is now far from reality.
Giving Artistic Photography the Credit it Deserves
There are those who say that photography is not a true media for fine art; or at least an inferior one when comparing to traditional media such as paintings. Since it takes a single touch of a button to capture an impression and a few more keystrokes to make 100 identical prints, they question whether photographic art is too easy to create and replicate to be considered true art.
4 simple reasons why the answer is a resounding “No!”
1. The quality of an artwork is in the realization of the artist’s vision and not the mechanics of its creation. Just because technology has optimized the process of capturing photographic art to a degree where it is now virtually instantaneous, it in no way discounts the effort and inspiration the artist needs in order to compose the original vision. Art has always been judged based on the final work’s artistic creativity, meaning, and originality rather than the mechanics of putting together this vision. Michelangelo said it best: “if people knew how hard I worked to get my mastery, it wouldn’t seem so wonderful at all.” But people do not care about the process, they care about the outcome.
2. The efficiency of photographic capture makes it a superior medium to depict many styles of art originally done through paintings. Because the process finishes in an instant, photography is the only medium that can capture a natural artistic portrait with all the unique expressions and feelings that the particular moment brings. A much more natural and spontaneous capture than making a person remain still for hours as the artist attempts to paint their likeness.
3. In today’s digital age, nothing is difficult to replicate. Original paintings, for example, can be fairly easily reproduced into a series of 100 identical artworks through a process called giclee reproductions where, ironically, a photograph of the artwork is taken and then used as a digital reference to print the artwork on comparable paper and come out with a virtual duplicate.
4. Art is only as rare as the artist selling it wants to make it. Since nothing is difficult to replicate, it is always up to the artist that sells the artwork to decide whether, irrespective of artistic medium, to replicate the art or not. The value of art definitely depends on how many copies of it are in circulation and today’s photographers understand this value. You can easily find artists that sell limited edition artworks and, even better, you can also find photographers that sell one of a kind artworks.
It is never justifiable to shun art because of the medium used to capture it and photography is no exception. Like all art forms, the photographic artist’s vision is what makes the art and it is her choice that determines if you get an original or a copy.
Wall Art that Leaves an Impression
Again you’ve fallen in love with an art piece and want others to see it the way you do, but you’ve already been down this path and learned that being beautiful is not enough for an artwork to leave a lasting impression. There is always something missing. Why does art in museums always leave an impression while art that hangs at one’s home does not?
Simple; unlike wall art that hangs in most homes, art admired in museums is so rare that people assume there won’t be another chance to see it. No matter how creative or aesthetically pleasing the artwork on your wall; it will not get any attention if your guest feels like they can get the same thing in the department store around the corner. People only stop and admire something if they feel that they will not get a chance to do it later. For example, while I know people that live in Paris and have never been to the top of the Eiffel tower, I went and visited it immediately during my first trip to the city. The same applies to wall art, make it one of a kind and your house guests will take their time to admire and talk about it; because they won’t get a chance to do it later.
It is a real shame that today’s fine art has been made so manufactured that an artwork hanging in one’s home is often assumed to have thousands of copies. Art was always meant to be original but we’ve been conditioned to stop thinking of wall art as “art” and think of it more like a copy of some template design that one can get just about anywhere. If there is no originality then there is no value and if there is no value then don’t even hang it up, as it is as good as missing.
Bring out the conversation inspiring aspect in your decor by adoring your home with original art. Imagine telling your guest that “this is a one-of-a-kind, original John Smith” hanging on your wall. You should then measure how long they spend admiring and talking about it.
