There’s a direct line between Warhol and Trump, same shallow values, same offhand derision of authority, originality, integrity of any stripe, nothing but glamour and greed the live long day. This mutual agreement on basic principles might seem strange at first, since many of Trump’s supporters don’t seem to know or care much about art, but art eventually permeates and influences the entire culture, and we live with it’s legacy. All the media people were aware of Warhol, and they spread the message like a red tide, name recognition is a form of celebrity and fame in itself has meaning, all of it framed in a sneering anti-intellectualism. Trump and Warhol knew and admired each other, and it had nothing to do with art -- kindred spirits plain to see.
Now that we know where it leads, it’s an insight we can use. Don’t expect the choice you make about which piece of art to buy to change the world. That will only happen when a lot of other people begin making similar choices, but you’re not in control of that. No one can tell you what to like, while all around a lot of other people are becoming more interested in self-verifying, experience-based referential art, and it seems to indicate a changing mood in the country. A blown-up soup can label won’t satisfy this crowd, too pointless and way too silly. Someday you’ll see one in a used furniture store for fifteen bucks, so sad.
On the individual level, this means the art you buy and live with influences how you feel about yourself and how you see the world, and put that way it sounds like a worthy investment. How you go about it is simple, just buy what you like, and sooner or later you’ll begin to recognize yourself in the art. Now a dealer says something similar, but with a twist -- they say, ‘buy just what you like, but always consult a reputable dealer, to make sure you’re not making a serious mistake.’ You don’t need them. Each of us has equipment on board that makes it easy to decide which piece of art we like best when looking at two, and it’s simply a matter of ramping up, expanding the field by looking at more art, and anyone can do it.
Art is the iceberg tip of ground-swell movements, not a reflection and not the cause, but the visible part of a society’s transformation, the communication mind to mind of a changing ethos, a new set of values along with a more autonomous sense of self. You won’t know just when it happens, but one day you’ll find yourself looking at art, and you’ll know it’s time to reconsider everything.
Now that we know where it leads, it’s an insight we can use. Don’t expect the choice you make about which piece of art to buy to change the world. That will only happen when a lot of other people begin making similar choices, but you’re not in control of that. No one can tell you what to like, while all around a lot of other people are becoming more interested in self-verifying, experience-based referential art, and it seems to indicate a changing mood in the country. A blown-up soup can label won’t satisfy this crowd, too pointless and way too silly. Someday you’ll see one in a used furniture store for fifteen bucks, so sad.
On the individual level, this means the art you buy and live with influences how you feel about yourself and how you see the world, and put that way it sounds like a worthy investment. How you go about it is simple, just buy what you like, and sooner or later you’ll begin to recognize yourself in the art. Now a dealer says something similar, but with a twist -- they say, ‘buy just what you like, but always consult a reputable dealer, to make sure you’re not making a serious mistake.’ You don’t need them. Each of us has equipment on board that makes it easy to decide which piece of art we like best when looking at two, and it’s simply a matter of ramping up, expanding the field by looking at more art, and anyone can do it.
Art is the iceberg tip of ground-swell movements, not a reflection and not the cause, but the visible part of a society’s transformation, the communication mind to mind of a changing ethos, a new set of values along with a more autonomous sense of self. You won’t know just when it happens, but one day you’ll find yourself looking at art, and you’ll know it’s time to reconsider everything.
