Art Debates

     In a distant earlier lifetime I worked for a newspaper with a large art department. Each year, human resources wonks conducted an employee attitude survey. Among the survey's sure things was that the artists would drag in with the absolute worst attitudes in the entire joint.  Not only did they finish last, they consistently came in last by astoundingly huge margins behind the department with the next-worst whine-quotent, the newsroom.

      Some of the give-and-take on this site remind how the newspaper artists easily became irritated and grouchy about most anything outside their personal cubicles.  The artists of that day, and now those of us today, surely are creative geniuses. But there's often a price to pay. The tradeoff is that many of us have problems with, as the human relations creatures might have said, intrapersonal relationships.

     We work way better by our lonesomes than as part of some team. Art, the polar opposite of math, has no right or wrong. So in our pristine artistic minds we always are right. It refreshes us to advise someone that he or she is flat dead wrong.

     All art debates such as those occasionally erupting like volcanoes on this site are made in total self-interest. But remember this: Nobody ever really wins an art debate. Ever.

     Self-interest means our arguments are based on what's best for the person doing the arguing. This may or may not be what is best for you and your art business.  But hardly any of us are much capable of anything other than tunnel vision. If you don't completely agree with the way I do it, I am compelled to inform you in the name of truth that you obviouly have been sadly misinformed.

     Sirited debate about the weighty issues of our business is entertaining, educational, enlightning and in some cases mind-boggling. Some of us, genetically incapable of refusing to acknowledge even the slightest posible crack in our argument, lash out against others like pit bulls in frenzy. Wouldn't be surprised to see some of our excellent contributors threaten to hold their breaths until (1) a shift in the other person's position or (2) death, whichever might come first.

     But either consequence would be to no avail. The other guy is never really gonna change, no matter how hard you try. You think furiously banging on your keyboard to launch a savage personal attack might win you some style points? Not going to happen. But it does make for fun reading.

     So have at it, boys and girls, and be thankful for forums like this, allowing you to advise the entire known world about how things ought to be according to the Ultimate Authority On All Art Matters. That of course would be you.

      I must go now. I feel a possible art argument coming on.

      As for you, stay far far away from employee attitude surveys.

          

 

       

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  • Welcome, Steve. You are truly now an official member of this site, in a position for a sprint to the Hall of Fame.
    • The burning question is - did Cognizy have bins in front of his lean-to?  And did those jurors come down hard on him for this, or for the fact he was a left-handed painter in a world of right-handers?  And did his lean-to match the lean-to he painted for his application?  And did he paint on board or wrapped canvas?  And were there really Impressionist painters in the Third Century?  

      That's a lot of questions for just the burning one, but, being an artist, I have trouble counting on my fingers while typing my drivel!

      • Steve, whether you know it or not, Coznizy was down from me last week at the Ft. Myers show, a little past the Japanese guys, he got no respect.  it seemed that his bins were not in proper alignment with his work, something about them being on "the dark side of the moon" which i don't quite understand, was that a hippie, smoke me kinda thing?  Bins, sins--who wins, I can't figure it out anymore.
  • It does make for fun reading . . . and writing.

     

     

     

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       "enlightening" is spelled with two Es. not one. Spelling mistakes like this happen as a result of extensive unprotected exposure to art show rejections. 

       

       

       

       

      '

      • I just wrote" Am I an Artist" in the discussion forum, after reading steves Post I have no doubt anymore, I am an Artist
        • Yes, you are, but, can you write lyrical essays like our own little Steverino?
          • sure, if someone explains to me afterwards what I was trying to say
  • Mr Vaughn, what I really hate about this post is the way it has been written, so coldly calculating, I can see you now sniggering behind the hibiscus, comforted in the fact that you have written a PC piece, overwrought with neutral hyperbole and brandishment for all.  This is such a sob blog.  There is nothing to ARGUE ABOUT in this luminous thread--you have seriously deprived us of our God-given rights, and I know I AM RIGHT--to take an issue with you.  You are a serious party-pooper and should be banned from all other threads.  May a thousand pufferfish descend on your pool and poop, bigtime, all over it.  You are the ultimate party pooper.  I really hate your cognizy.  Take that Webbie.  Nels was out drinking margaritas tonite so I kinda borrowed his computer.  No harm done.
  • Well written, Steve!  Did you work for the Washington Post??? I was writing the employee comms there years ago and we ran Employee Attitude Surveys too (the PC Police would never let you call them that now, LOL!).  And as I recall the News Art dept. finished about as you describe in the rankings. 
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