This is a guest blog post from Seba Rashii, an artist from Liverpool and one who also sells here at Artybuzz.
As an artist, I like to think of art being sacred.
As art becomes an increasingly disposable concept via the mass medias commercial acceptance of graffiti styling, increased access to all forms of it for the public and various programs seeking to explain the concept of it to all amongst the great public who may care, we – and I include my fellow artists here, too – are losing the longevity that perhaps more “traditional” older pieces strive and have striven to achieve, however consciously or unconsciously . The evidence is all there in front of us if we stop and think about it properly. Modern art is still dismissed by the average person as nothing to be concerned about. Even the best street art is considered cheap graffiti by councils who stop at nothing to preserve their local artists work and architecture but consider the erasing of graffiti to be nothing. Modern art, whilst still widely appreciated by those with the broadness of mind to accept it seriously, is in reputation nothing to what the classic painters work has become. Consider that the Mona Lisa is still raved about by endlessly enthusing art critics, Picasso pieces are mega valuable works of art and that museums and galleries still favor in general the traditional idea of art, the canvas in a frame, the sculpted figure etc. Of course opinion plays a big part in these ideas, but I think you get the picture.
All too often I’ve rescued a piece of – to my eyes, at least – art from certain destruction on the streets for the simple reason that I consider it worthy of survival and appreciation by others. The fact is, art is not just for the sake of art, it is for appreciation by others. There is no artist in this world who doesn’t want his or her work to appear in public someday and be commented on. It is part and parcel of being an artist and always will be! From the street wall tagger to the classical sculptor there is basic need for appreciation and expression. As an artist myself, I always try and consider the merit of any piece I come across, and of course there are pieces I like and dislike, but the basic point is that I’ve seen them before my very eyes. The one thing in common with all the best pieces I’ve looked at is that they are timeless. Admittedly, my taste is maybe somewhat Left Field, but all of my favorite artists such as HR Giger, Salvador Dali, Banksy, Kami and the like are producing or have produced work that is essentially in the realm of fantasy, and if not fantastical, at the very least original in thought and execution, that has lasted longer and been appreciated by more exactly because of this.
I’m not saying we should forget about the present or even the past, simply that art can be anything it likes and that in general producing a piece with the future appreciation factor in mind is an effective strategy it seems. But in practice, most artists create out their own idea and don’t apply such exact criteria unless it’s a special project. I know that when I make pieces of work, I use my eyes and if my eyes say something good, it’s a winner. In addition to that, the select people I show them to tend to agree as well. I can’t say what makes the piece agreeable to my sight, but it obviously works, even given the fact art is by it’s very nature subjective. I said before that I consider art to be sacred. The title of this article is Art and Death. To connect the two, I’ll suggest the theory that modern art is becoming increasingly throw away in its nature.
The fact is, if the Mona Lisa got destroyed in a fire, art critics, fans, creators the world over would be mourning it’s passing in a similar manner to Michael Jackson’s death in 2009. Understandably, as the passing of any culture or art is sad indeed. But if someone rubs out a piece of street art few will shed any tears unless it was a Banksy. (I love Banksy’s work by the way, so there is no doubt to my intention!) Even then, a Banksy does not a building indestructible make these days. The artist himself acknowledges the fact and even celebrates the temporary nature of work that is in all likelihood going to disappear forever one day. But there is some art that should never be a candidate for extinction and needs preserving for the appreciation of future audiences. As much as I love Banksy, the moment his work gained notoriety is one of the key reasons we have seen art become so much more disposable than it once was.
As much as art should inspire people to create, the art of the moment is in the future going to exist only on the photographs of those who seek it out avidly. Of course now that street art is arguably less ubiquitous in it’s influence than it was, we may just see a return to the classical forms that used to reign. As long there are the ideas the art will grow organically. With art being more and more for everyone now creativity is being encouraged by example. Hopefully we’ll leave behind our own versions of the, (probably quite different to common tastes at the time of their creation), works that still inspire people now such as Munch’s ambiguous The Scream, still a favorite now with many people for that very reason, or Van Gogh’s Sunflowers which was a simple painting of some flowers that is still iconic to this day. Both these paintings are essentially timeless and simple, with scope for interpretation by the viewer. Maybe that is why they have stayed so recognizable to this day?
Arguably, the work produced by mainstream art these days is unlikely to produce such rapture generations after their inception. But saying that, tastes change quickly and there will be a time when this art is recognized for what it was. Consider the fact that the new media available to creators now is already revolutionizing modern life itself, and as we breathe it is changing the way people create. In twenty years time, the art world will undoubtedly be quite different. As the technology becomes available, the works we see now will be preserved and even recreated.
Art may be dying in a way, but it’s more than likely to be a rebirth.
Seba Rashii
