Art In History Art Blog
"Significant" Art: What does it Signify?
by art_in_history , March 11, 2009—12:00 AM
Coming from a background in Art History, I have a number of readymade ways to beat myself over the head about my painting. One is the concept that to be given serious respect a work should be "significant". By this the art historian means that it advances the march of style through its innovations, or expresses its time with particular clarity and depth. It is the work of a leader, not a follower.
A few years ago Amherst college, my Alma Mater, had a show of art by alumni for which I was not approached. I have no idea if my name ever surfaced at all, or how selection was done, but I think it is perfectly likely that my work would not be considered "significant" enough to merit inclusion. In general, my work appeals much more to fellow artists, and even gallery owners, than to academics.
A corresponding pejorative term much used by academics is "derivative": if a work is "derivative" it can be dismissed without much consideration. Since all work is to some degree derivative (i.e., based on the work of earlier artists) what the phrase means, I suppose, is "too derivative", not trying hard enough to break away. This is a built in bias for Art Historians, who value the invention, the seminal idea, more than quality out of context. This is one reason I prefer the opinions of Connoisseurs, who appreciate the intrinsic stenglth and beauty of a work which is of no particular "significance".
I am very aware that my own work is not "significant", that it is derived from a 19th century naturalistic tradition, and that it is not a particularly good reflection of its own time. Every once in a while i think i should consciously direct my painting efforts into a more ambitious path: to find a new voice or to express something about our time. But it never lasts. For good or ill what I paint comes from a place within me which I don't really control and which gives me only limited choice. No I just have to get the art historian within me to shut up.
COMMENTS
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03/22/2009 * 00:07:32
o.k. here goes...i can get on my soap box, i can...especially when it comes to snobs and snobbery among the community of whatevers...a friend of mine once told me "don't give a rat's
you-know-what" about what they or anyone else says about your work, but she was a bit more colorful...i had comiserated to her about some hard time at university..so-called significant stuff probably should be thrown in the dumpster...i wonder too at times if my work matters, if it could ever be even considered art...but, i have to agree with our friend caroline,that "significance" shouldn't be why we go about what we do...we do have to be careful when we begin to dialogue 'bout each other's work...anyway, i can ramble
03/16/2009 * 14:59:18
Hi Caroline,
What you say about the judgement of history is absolutely right; nevertheless, I think there is a sense of mission which innovative artists have - like the impressionists - which is different than my enterprise. I am confident that I will never be discovered by art history to have been "going somewhere". The best I could hope for would be "too good to ignore", like Chardin or Corot, or the little Dutch masters. But I won't hold my breath!
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03/14/2009 * 12:59:43
Peter, please keep painting from your heart and squish that art historian into some corner of your mind. I doubt if any truly significant work set out to be that way. I suspect the artists who have shaken the world set out to paint their visions despite the messages of their critics. One example being the French impressionists. No, don't squish that historian but take the long message of history--seldom does an era recognize its own innovators and sort out the time struck fall-by-the-waysides from the real movers and shakers.
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03/13/2009 * 21:02:58
Hi Peter- I am sorry that your Alma Mater didn't approach you for the show, I am sure that is was a mistake on her part. You seem to be taking it all in stride. I believe that art taps the subconscious so all art automatically expresses the zeitgeist of its time. Happy painting- Zander
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03/12/2009 * 09:56:02
The well-orchestrated surfaces of your paintings, Peter, reflect your personal awareness of timeless realities. That's as significant as high-concept art.
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03/11/2009 * 12:27:52
Peter -- This may be a duplicate comment; I'm not sure the other went through. My apologies if it did.
I agree that academics can be a bit dessicated in their approach to what is "ART" (big caps).
I'm reading about an American Tonalist Charles Warren Eaton, lesser known than Inness and others, and they too turned away from daily life and the encroaching industrialization of America, seeking landscapes of quietude. I think that many of us today are doing something similar considering what is happening around us -- seeking solace in the natural world, even if it is in our own backyard and not cutting edge.
Now the academics would shudder at that idea -- backyards are soooo pedestrian!
Stay with your vision and let the academics be damned.
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03/11/2009 * 11:55:27
I enjoyed reading this piece! Yes, I agree that "academics" can be a bit dessicated in their thinking and their approach to ART (big caps). And yet one must -- or should -- stay true to one's own vision, even if that vision seems to be "derivative."
I'm reading a book I picked up at the Clarke during the exhibit, "Like Breath on Glass," about Charles Warren Eaton, a lesser known American Tonalist. In the book, the author talks about how the Tonalists turned away from the daily life and the onslaught of industrialization, seeking peace and solace in the landscape. I wonder if that's where many of us are now, yearning for that moment of quietude in the natural world wherever we may find it, even if its in one's own backyard?
I'm sure the "academics" would shudder at that thought -- backyards are sooooo pedestrian!
Michael Mize ( homepage )
03/27/2009 * 11:25:37
"For good or ill what I paint comes from a place within me which I don't really control and which gives me only limited choice."
In my mind, this statement highlights the REAL significance of your work. You are self-aware enough to know where your inspiration is rooted, and honest enough to follow it regardless of the ramifications that has on your name recognition. You've remained true to yourself, and in spite of what anyone else might say or think, that is significant.