Evaluating the Values of ArtWorks of art are received and valued on different planes.
Benjamin, Walter – 1935
Why does some works of art called cheap? Is it just because we never heard of the artist name before? Well, there is a strong relation between the qualities of the work of an artist with his fame. But then, who decides on the quality? Was it judged purely just by looking at the essential elements that a good artwork should have, such as balance and expressions, or also by how much it was worth when they were calculated per-square inch by their foremost famous owners?
The beauty of Art is always a human subjective matter to generalize, but the commercial value of an artwork should not influence people in their evaluation on its quality. (opt1)
The beauty of Art is always a human subjective matter to generalize, but the commercial value of it should not be embedded inside the main art principals, which people use to evaluate the quality. (opt2)
The beauty of Art is always a human subjective matter to generalize, but its commercial value and reputation should not be embedded inside the main art principals, which people use to evaluate the quality, because they are subject mostly to the artwork’s provenance. (opt3)
_______end of par 1
According to Pierre Bourdieu, a French sociologist whom had studied taste in relation to socio-economic class and ‘educational capital’ the results are complicated, especially since the assessment cannot be generalized from one country such as France to the others. Though, he found the clear links between social class and preferences in art, music and theatre. (Freeland pg93) For E.g. Wealthy American industrialists and capitalists collected art as an evidence of their good standing in the higher culture. And later on, some of these people founded the museums and galleries. But, not all of them purely collected the works because of their quality or some wanted only things that they considered as bargains. In the autobiography of J. Paul Getty, his tales of collecting is very much related in how much he wanted to spend. He turned away artworks such as paintings just because the value was not within his expectation. Philanthropists like Gettty and many others had driven the society and given them the value of how much the artworks should cost. (Freeland pg96) The irises by Van Gogh sold for $53.9 million in the 80s. Cynthia Freeland wrote in her book, But is it art? – “Can we ever see those masterpieces as art rather than a huge dollar sign?” Because of the value set by their founders and the public, a lot of museums and art galleries collect work mostly based on these preferences. They spend billions just to add another masterpiece to their wall.
Despite of all the existing standard of pure art appreciation, the fame of the buyer is as important as the quality of the artwork to determine its value. the world has been delivering fine artists in every corner of a country. These young and unknown artists are desperately try to win a reputation in the high art society. They are waiting to get lucky on the day a good potential art collector look around some local galleries where they put their work. The same old story is still happening in this century. Not too long ago, Zach Feuer, owner of Zach Feuer Gallery (originally LFL) sold out his friend Kevin Zucker twice which one of them to Mary Boone. This has given Mr. Feuer the privilege to double the size of his space and give another artist Tom McGrath his first gallery show with an initial high selling price. (dArcy – Rhinzome.org)
Knowing the fact also influence the way of the thinking of the artists in creating their art. They pay special attention on collectors who were positive about their work and giving the first look of their later works. "Its like anything in business: you want to discover a new product --something fresh, something hot," says Lea Freid of Lombard Freid Fine Arts. Young artists tend to find the style that are marketable and in the latest trend for their artwork. “Students are already all reading the same art magazines,” says Jay Coogan from RSID (Rhode Island School of Design).
Instead of having the artwork price as a standard to add them into a collection, Collectors should turn their focus more on their originality. With the issues of trends and the technology to reproduce an artwork, uniqueness and originality weigh much higher than its provenance. "If they want to buy 10 people hoping that one of them will turn into a well-known artist, good," says veteran dealer Richard Feigen. "I'd rather see them do that than spend five million dollars on Jeff Koons. They'll get better art, too." The Mona Lisa is already considered priceless and it will be a fortunate thing to stand before it without hundreds of camera flash lit up around you. At the same time, the painting has been reproduced thousand times by many artists whom might have the same level of skill as Da Vinci but they will not earn anything much from selling the reproductions.
It is a great thing that unexposed artists’ works appreciated because of its significant boldness and beauty. This awareness needs to be brought into the society to remind them the true reason why an artwork should be called art and why they are all perfect in their own ways.
References:
Freeland, Cynthia. But is It Art? An Introduction to Art Theory. Oxford University Press 2001
Benjamin, Walter. Works of art are received and valued on different planes. 1935
Newsgrist: ECOVENTION..First Reports from Documenta..world's teeniest website; n3xt..Art After NAFTA..Detention Inventions..The Young & The Restless. 16 June 2002. http://rhizome.org/thread.rhiz?thread=2592&text=4605
dArcy, David. The Young & The Restless. The Art Newspaper. June 2002. http://www.theartnewspaper.com/news/article.asp?idart=9533