2. 22. 2009

After the End of Art                                                                                                                       

Much has been written about “The End of Art“ throughout the last decades by Hans Belting, Arthur C. Danto and Donald Kuspit to name a few art critics.  However, what does it really mean “Art or Art History has come to an End"?

Considering human beings have this innate need to express themselves and love to create, there is a very slim chance of “Art” not going to play a vital role during the centuries to come.  So what is ending?  I believe what will end or change is the way we look at “Art” or better, how we define what “Art” really means to us as creators and as a society.  We may even have to use a different term for this new vision and by doing so, enabling us to grow beyond the current disintegration to usher in this new period “After Art”.

What is coming to an end can symbolically be seen as the trimming of a wild branch, shooting up from the main stem of the tree of creativity.  The tree had been growing steadily for many generations, when its connection to the basic human values started to disintegrate during the beginning of the last century by growing a wild shoot.  Many well known artists were involved to bring this wild growth into being.   Resembling the original tree at first it looked immensely promising. Although as time passed and after closer observation, it appeared to grow faster and faster, recently producing exaggerated hollow seeds that are overvalued and have no substance to ensure continuation.  This has sapped the original tree of water and nutrients, ultimately damaging and weakening the structure of the mother tree and stunting its healthy growth. 

My first encounter with the "Wild Branch"! 

I came to a rude awakening when I was subjected to an official educational training in the arts in 1968 upon entering a German institution as an undergraduate student.  My vision and dream to become an artist who uses nature as a guide, to develop a high level of skills and knowledge about this craft was nullified in an instance.  In those days art history classes were narrowed down to pop-art lectures, and painting classes to doodles and action painting.  Last but not least, to paint realistically was a sure way to be dispelled from the institution.  I was certainly not the only student dissatisfied with the established values of institutions in Germany at the time.  I later learned that the Norwegian painter Odd Nerdrum, who studied in Düsseldorf around the same time, was said to have had his fare share of distress with the prevailing ideologies.

Endings are followed by Beginnings!  Reconnecting with the Source!

Much has changed since 1968 and after several years of applying my visionary abilities as designer for the fashion industry, my deep-seated vision to take my place in art history could no longer be suppressed.  Then in 1983, it did not matter any more whether current culture was on the same wavelength with my perception of the future.  It was the beginning of my love affair with painting, followed by many years of studies at museums, readings to broaden my knowledge and much self-training to refine my skills and to recapture the techniques of the old masters.  By 1992 a small number of institutions, training in the traditional arts, had emerged in the US and I decided to complete a Masters of Fine Art in 1996 to have the credentials to teach on a graduate level, thus coming full circle. At last I found peace with myself and the world of art.

Fortunately, today I am not the only painter, sculptor or “artist” with a clear vision of this original “Tree of Creativity”, which in its everlasting although diminished recognition, has its strong roots anchored in human values and traditions.  From the "Kitsch Painters" to the "New Old Masters" or what ever art critics may call the painters and sculptors who are embracing the path "After Art", there is new life and a clear vision without an adherence to outworn notions.

It is reassuring and interesting to realize, "There are no Shortcuts in Nature"!

Yes “Art” the wild shoot is slowly coming near the end.  The time of pruning is about to happen upon “The World of Art”.  Parallels to the “Wild Branch” are to be found in all our troubling crisis which are surrounding us in every aspect of life at the current moment and reaching far across the seas. The trimming has started.  From the United States, it will ebb around the world during decades to come. Ultimately the tree of creativity will recover to its full strength as human beings are sure to continue to use their skills to express their many thoughts and emotions to find meaning as long as they walk the earth.

By Marlies Ihmels

2. 22. 2009

© 2009 Marlies Ihmels

7. 28. 2006

My Observations on “Art as a Commodity in Post Modern Culture"                                       
      

The state of Post Modernism continues to govern our time, permeating every aspect of our lives and causing culture to show little interest in the aesthetic values and deeper meaning of newly created works of art. Why purchase new art if there is no new direction and everything is fashionable these days? After all, art critics have written extensively about the End of Art. We may as well hold on to what we have and find value therein, whatever it may be. Our society seems to look for other ways to find direction and meaning these days. We are passionately tapping into what has been, what had at some time previously proven itself to possess great power. This makes us feel safe.

Why is the need for safety so vital for our culture?

Modern society has advanced too fast over the last decades. Never before in the history of mankind have there been so many changes and with such speed. Life has become incomprehensible for most people. Losing touch with our deep inner roots is causing us to examine who we are, hoping to regain our worth by looking at the past. By ways of reconnecting with previous values we are trying to find, and here I mean the individual as well as society itself, the necessary sense of strength to create anew and to go forward.
    

Our Post Modern era seems to be a time of reflection on the self, on who we are and what meaning we have created thus far for ourselves. Our Freudian heritage is asking society to take a seat on the couch. Like a young adult, reassessing and rejecting the home, we are searching the past to find our true meaning. What is of value we keep, searching for truth and discarding what’s false in a fashionable deconstructive manner. The faster our technological advances are implemented, the more strongly our society seems to regress by holding tightly onto basic fundamental areas of life. The vision is turned backward or shall I say inward. The progression of styles which had governed the arts has stopped. All the attention is focused on the root system, on the existing structure and this is not only happening in the arts. Artists with their visionary abilities have been anticipating the need to reconnect with our heritage. Since the 1960’s they have worked in a reprocess mode by borrowing from the past or deconstructing what had previously been sacred and powerful to change the history of art.

What is our Heritage, what value can be ascribed to it?

Commodity values are reassessed and naturally increases in prices occur due to a perceived worth. Art auctions, collectibles and antique shows are very fashionable these days, bringing in high returns. People hold on to what they have, waiting for further gains or they purchase items of the past (art by well known or deceased artists) to increase this structurally sound and proven aspect of their lives. This gives stability in a time of not knowing what the future will bring (war and terrorism). The new is not to be trusted since it has no record of intrinsic worth. One cannot envision its validity since it is impossible to see its uniqueness in a pluralistic time where everything is of the same value and importance. This perception of “No Hierarchy” seems to be leading society to a greater, more colorful exuberance and diversity on the upside and on the downside mediocrity and indifference.

Is there any visionary movement at all today?

The previous succession of styles has shifted to new forms of media expressions. The visionary artist tries to continue the historical mode of a forward movement by ways of expressing through the use of different mediums. The very act of creating is to make new. The artist lives in the now and creates for the future. There is no fear where vision needs to express. The new generation of artists is moving contrary to the current flow of energy in our culture. Naturally the artist tries harder to get attention, which drives the current culture (still frozen in a state of fear), and the creative arts further apart. The only possible way to make a connection with the general public these days is by bringing the arts down to a commodity level. Artworks become mere decorations or objects for investments without a deep connection to the soul. What we as a culture are ending up with are mediocre, shallow, diverse and very commercial works of art, or on the other end screaming works of art so outrageous in regards to their content, that nobody can understand these works nor live with them. Such works are absorbed by the market as suitable objects for speculative investments or by museums. The question is how many museums can society support?

Where is the balanced middle ground in this culture of extremes?

Pluralism with its colorful but mediocre, shallow, diverse and very commercial art seems to occupy the position of the middle ground, causing society to become even more shallow and indifferent towards any new visions. How much longer do we have to search in our past to recognize our innate values? Can art initiate a reconnection with our deeper roots in a more positive, life confirming way? Perhaps it is time to take strength from past aesthetic values and use their tried and proven intrinsic structures as means of expression to move our fearful, adolescent culture to new and more mature heights. When is society ready to leave the “Freudian Couch” and proclaim “Yes we can handle life and construct a future filled with well balanced, positive and aesthetic art which will affirm our present aliveness?”

By Marlies Ihmels

7. 28. 2006

© 2006 Marlies Ihmels

6. 22. 2006 

My Observations on the Latest State of the Art Market                                                           

Living through this current art market takes more than courage for most artists; it is the ultimate test on living up to one’s own convictions.

Mark Porter (President of Christie’s America) during his recent interview on Consuelo Mack’s Wealthtrack Channel 21, (which aired on June 6, 2006), gave his advice on where to invest in the arts. His comment was to buy art which is original, of highest quality and not newly made.

I have been selling art work since 1988 and have seen the market go up and down. There were years when I could not paint fast enough to satisfy the galleries and my collectors.  The prices for my works increased at a steady pace.  Despite the enormous demand I decided to produce only a few highly refined, content rich paintings with deeper meaning. I studied to gain more knowledge, refined my skills, used materials of the highest quality and enriched the subject matter by adding meaning to the content. I became a paining philosopher expressing the human condition at large; a deeper meaning penetrating my work, thus the art was capable of touching every soul through the merging of intellect and feeling.  The content of my art work came alive under my brush.

Unfortunately I find the overall body of art work on today’s market missing this quality. Most art works have become mere decorations, where matching the color of the dining room curtain or fitting in with the overall interior décor seems to be the most important criteria. I can respect the need to be pleasantly entertained by some decorative objects. We all have our preferences and that is good so, life needs to be as diverse as possible to give meaning and to assure survival. Lately though, I find this diverse survival being threatened by an overall financial market in search of the latest fad and hottest way to reap monetary benefits.

Are we yet living through another bubble? Perhaps an art market bubble?

For but a few artists the art market ceased to exist after March 2001. Ever since the stock market
went down and the real estate market became strong, the art market has vanished for most established artists and especially the young new talents. The galleries representing contemporary artists are not excluded from this down turn. I expect many small galleries to falter during the coming years. The art market has turned corporate and is now dominated by the auction houses and a few galleries who have managed to become global.

Artists are very sensitive to the Zeitgeist and are often years ahead through recognizing subconsciously what is happening in their culture. By 1997 I had noticed signs of a turning market. I had expected and talked about an upcoming strong commodity market, which can now easily be seen by looking at the enormous gains in housing prices, in the surge of oil prices, precious metals, and the high prices auction houses have commanded for antiques, older paintings and art works by well known living artists who had gained recognition during their earlier years.

What happens when interest shifts away from the stock market to commodities?

I like to share my thoughts as an artist on the current situation we are facing in the arts. Middle income people had lost much of their savings during the collapse of the techstock bubble as we all know. Consequently they were eager to invest into the housing market, since it had proven to bring in returns and was perceived as being more stable than the stock market. During the last years the remaining money was invested into the housing market, meaning all the available capital was used as a down payment and additional money had to be borrowed. It created frozen assets with additional costs. By comparison, investing in the housing market bears higher risks than placing money into the stock market. If the market collapses it may wipe out more than the lifesavings people have.

Investing in stocks etc. means the money stays fluid. Stocks are bought and sold, and gains are taken and partially reinvested. In our current situation people of middle income are stretched over the limit with mounting debt they have taken on during the last years. In addition rising commodity prices are making it impossible for most people to purchase artwork. Higher income groups are not affected as much or at all and have the means to support the arts at any time. This sounds great; however the current trend is drawing everybody to the auction houses, trusting only the so called “experts” for advice to increase wealth. This fear driven movement of investing exclusively into art works by already well known or deceased artists may increase wealth momentarily, in the long term it will deprive future generations of the richness and diversity of an art world we as a society have come to cherish.

Is making a lot of money the only meaning left in our culture?

Where is all of this leaving the new generation of artists who are struggling to survive?

The visual arts are a form of dialogue. It is a dialogue that is very much needed in our culture. Painting with its rich historical past remains to be a vital form of communication entering the public consciousness through placement into private homes and public collections.

How can there be a continuum without our willingness for support?

The artists of today are already now and will definitely continue to be the masters of tomorrow’s dialogue. If we neglect to support today’s artists, we will deprive the whole nation of the opportunity and possibility of recognizing itself, thereby denying ourselves the pleasure of discovering the meaning of life through a colorful, painterly dialogue.

If this market continues long enough we will certainly lose a whole generation of very talented artists, diminish our respectable art schools and decimate many small galleries who with their courage to nurture these new talents are often the breeding grounds for the masters of the future.

I hope to have opened up a worthwhile dialogue.

By Marlies Ihmels

 
6. 22. 2006

© 2006 Marlies Ihmels