the end of art history -- a rebirth for art

‘The End of Art History,’ by David Carrier, from hyperallergic online, 9-26,
“Writing a global art history demands that we give up historical thinking.”

What he’s trying to say is that if we consider the contributions of everyone we’ll have to abandon this artificial orthodoxy we’ve imposed on all of art for the last seventy five years, and it’s back on the streets for us. So what is the ‘historical thinking’ we have to give up and where did it come from in the first place? Does it have anything to do with evolving cultural consciousness or is it more of a fish trap for just the financially fattest tuna constructed by critics and scholars for their friends the marketeers, all of them in the same leaky boat?

The history of 'art history' in the twentieth century is all about exclusion, narrowing the the acceptable form of expression to an arbitrary and impenetrable ‘signature’ style that requires an implicit compromise to even be called art. Through many breakthroughs and redefinitions, these days just an impertinent thought takes the place of all that skill, and even though the public sector seems to be doing great there’s nothing left to sell to the public. The real reason to give up on the artificial construct called ‘art history,’ the frenetic pursuit of novelty, notoriety and outrage, is because every taboo has been excised and all former standards breached until there’s not much left to say. The art most valued by our culture according to the price tag has been reduced to time-bound posturing, hollow sensationalism, and it’s ugly.

The ‘discovery’ of pouring or splashing or dripping in some unique new way probably wasn’t as significant as all the art history books say it was, and what it produced isn’t worth what they claim it is now either. They’ll get theirs when it all comes tumbling down, when all their hermetic double-dealing is exposed to the open air of a free market. Museums will begin to deaccession from the stacks, cautiously at first, and the plantation workers, all those exploited and underpaid employees with art degrees, will begin to unionize and expose the dirty practices of their gentile institutions. Oh, you say that’s all happening now and it’s already rolling downhill? Can the end of ‘art history’ be far behind?

No one I know or have ever met is likely to spend 20m on a retread Rothko for their restored castle with eighteen foot ceilings, ‘it’ll be great for the great hall.’ Maybe we should look at something else. It might be nice to have real art on the wall in a modest real house, a bit of individual character to flavor all the manufactured stuff we all live with. Caution is advised -- don’t buy an art magazine, they’re shills for the industry, don’t go to lectures by anyone who doesn’t make art, and don’t believe the gallery when they tell you how much anything is worth. Most of all forget anything you’ve learned about ‘art history,’ we're starting over. Just look at all the art you see in public always noting the price, and before long you’ll recognize a bargain because you’ve also learned to recognize actual accomplishment. Now you’re ready to buy some for the house.