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.