Has Art Changed?

Has Art changed? A pretty broad question which has led to many universal debates but I believe the question deserves a blunt answer - no!

From the Stone Age to Postmodernism, Art has been a survival mechanism for humans making us attentive to our surroundings; if we did not need art it wouldn’t have subsisted for this long. Yes, Art has visually changed in style, from parietal paintings to the now accumulating digital art, but has the true purpose of why we create Art changed? Artists, Seurat and Picasso, anticipated the science of the 19th Century, revealing that a landscape is just a palette of an organised mess or as, graphic designer, Milton Glaser defines Art as “the only truth we can ever know”. It is Art which makes us subconsciously view the world as if we are viewing it for the first time; whether it is a portrait, landscape, sculpture or architecture the viewer is revising a routine image of day-to-day life yet through another person’s perspective. “Art is a lie that makes us realise truth” (Picasso) - art displays society’s truths, good or bad, and artists of our time are fortunate to create and comment on whatever they choose. However, religion dominated Art in the Renaissance period,

commercialised it and used it as propaganda. My own attitude towards religion has changed due to my recent visit to Florence, and especially from viewing the collection of biblical paintings and frescos at the Santa Maria Novella. Having such a pessimistic approach to Catharsis, I was surprised to have such an emotional connection to the paintings as the tranquil atmosphere and almost intimidating space amplify the Art. In a slightly confused state, I began to understand how people could begin to believe in a figure beyond their understanding. Whilst in the cathedral I guess the ineffable feeling that I felt, would have been the prevailing emotion for Florentines in the 14th and 17th Century, seemingly the catalyst to their belief in God. However, for me, this layering of thoughts and feelings was not an act of some omnibenevolent God but simple the power of Art. I believe that this indescribable feeling that one experiences, when immersed in a painting, was changed into an act of propaganda which demonstrates the power of faith, controlled by some dude named “God”. But, why does the sublime emotion of Art have to have an answer? Why do we as human beings have to have a conclusion to our thoughts and feelings? Why don’t we just live our life, of course questioning, but most importantly appreciating and not searching for supposedly convenient answers? The Renaissance period was simply made from an artist passion and genuine gratitude towards life; I wonder if that attachment towards Art is still current today or are artists simply creating for their own material gain? Or perhaps this idea of loss of appreciation of Art doesn’t reflect the artists but the society. Are we, in the 21st Century, losing interest in the Arts? And perhaps my smug comment of religious Art being commercialised is actually a reflection of the next generation’s ignorant approach to Art. In today’s Art there doesn’t seem to be the same acknowledgement of an artist’s skill, due to the rise of techniques and resources; unfortunately, this idea creates a stigma of manufactured Art; perhaps this accumulation of techniques and even the modern rapidity to be able to produce something, has dampened our interest and once fascinated attitude towards Art...

Dandy-Day H (Upper Sixth)

WHY DO WE AS HUMAN BEINGS HAVE TO HAVE A CONCLUSION TO OUR THOUGHTS AND FEELINGS?