THE SKY IS FALLING!
When I say "art history" people usually give me a polite, glazed over look. It's not their fault. No one cares about art history because they don't think it has anything to do with them. There's been a Chicken Little sense of panic lately that seems to be taking hold of a lot of folks, and here's where art history relates: it shows that the sky has always been falling. Generational conflicts and societal upheavals happen ALL. THE. TIME. And we're here, years later. Society goes on in new and beautiful ways (Oh hey! Just like art. Huh...).
Bear with me. About a 100 years ago people were breaking rules all over the place about what constituted "art", mainly through their subject matter. They painted things that were vulgar and low. Changes in industry meant changes in class and architecture, which artists painted. Then WWI happened, turning the whole world upside down, making order meaningless. Dada, reacted to that. Reactions to Freudian ideas and to absurdity led to Surrealism. More war ushered in German Expressionism. Coming out of the war and reacting to that, Abstract Expressionism in America took off. And on and on, one change leading to another.
The same habit of reacting against actions has always been with us. Art from the Middle Ages through the High Renaissance shows us the same things as art from the 1900s: changing perceptions of reality, class upheaval, and shifts in power. It's actions and reactions to events and generational values all over again. Today we have plenty of artistic reactions changing the way we think about reality and values. There's outsider art, street art, and questions about the role of traditional oil painting, but it all continues.
My point is, when a major shift happens people are skeptical, competitive, smug, and scared - every time. A lot of recent conversations have touched upon the state of our world and concerns, outrages, and worries for the future. Folks seem to think this is the end of moral values for good, but art history tells me that we've been here before. Scary times, culture shifts, and changes in what counts as valid, none of this is new. Things change all the time, and every time, society progresses. Embrace the change, and while you're at it, count on some amazing insight and beauty coming from the uncertainty
An illustration from Paul Galdone's Henny Penny. Image taken from Paul Galdone.
Bear with me. About a 100 years ago people were breaking rules all over the place about what constituted "art", mainly through their subject matter. They painted things that were vulgar and low. Changes in industry meant changes in class and architecture, which artists painted. Then WWI happened, turning the whole world upside down, making order meaningless. Dada, reacted to that. Reactions to Freudian ideas and to absurdity led to Surrealism. More war ushered in German Expressionism. Coming out of the war and reacting to that, Abstract Expressionism in America took off. And on and on, one change leading to another.
Jackson Pollock. Autumn Rhythm, No. 30. Enamel on canvas, 105" x 207". 1950
Image taken from The Met.
The same habit of reacting against actions has always been with us. Art from the Middle Ages through the High Renaissance shows us the same things as art from the 1900s: changing perceptions of reality, class upheaval, and shifts in power. It's actions and reactions to events and generational values all over again. Today we have plenty of artistic reactions changing the way we think about reality and values. There's outsider art, street art, and questions about the role of traditional oil painting, but it all continues.
Giotto. The Ognissanti Madonna altarpiece. Tempera and gold leaf on panel, 128" x 80.25". 1306-10.
Image taken from the Uffizi Gallery Museum.
My point is, when a major shift happens people are skeptical, competitive, smug, and scared - every time. A lot of recent conversations have touched upon the state of our world and concerns, outrages, and worries for the future. Folks seem to think this is the end of moral values for good, but art history tells me that we've been here before. Scary times, culture shifts, and changes in what counts as valid, none of this is new. Things change all the time, and every time, society progresses. Embrace the change, and while you're at it, count on some amazing insight and beauty coming from the uncertainty
Image taken from Skizzen Ueber Morgen.
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