5 important articles of December
Subjectivity and Objectivity in Art
Here the author tries Understanding the gap between personal and public responses to art:
“More broadly, the ways that people look at the world around them — at works of art or anything else — are prone to influence from so many other spheres, from political upheavals to technological advances. What counts as “knowledge”, “proper behaviour”, “judgement” and “good taste” never stays the same. And so, inevitably, perhaps, a centuries-old artwork will look different to our modern eyes than to the eyes of those who saw it when it was first made”.
Predictions for Art in the 2020s
These informed speculations reflect some widely held desires and fears for where the art world is headed—and prove more likely than extraterrestrial takeovers.
The 10 Most Important Artists of the 2010s
The year’s most influential artists drove unprecedented crowds to museums, incited heated debates, spurred Instagram sensations, and set splashy auction records. Some harnessed innovative digital technologies, while others took centuries-old craft techniques to new heights. These artists reminded us of the spiritual power of art and the biases we keep; they shed light on the divisive times we live in and showed us the power of solidarity. The artists on this list—some household names, some relatively unheard-of, some inspiring us from the grave—represent a tiny fraction of the art we witnessed in 2019, though together, they give us a picture of the past 12 months, and a taste of what’s to come.
The $120,000 banana: how to have your art and eat it
For his latest work at the international Art Basel fair, Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan bought a banana, duct-taped it to the wall of the gallery and called it Comedian. Over the weekend, American artist David Datuna upped the ante when he created a performance piece entitled Hungry Artist where he ate the banana. A video of the performance appears on his Instagram account where he comments that he loves Cattelan’s work adding that “it’s very delicious”.
So, why is a banana a work of art worth US$120,000, and why is a performance artist eating it considered art?
Reading Art: The Benefits of Looking More Closely
The pleasures of art are numerous. One of the simplest and best is when you notice something in a work of art that you hadn’t seen before — especially when that detail seems to unlock a vital clue to the artwork’s meaning.
Sometimes you see it for yourself, and sometimes it takes another person to point it out. Either way, the act of looking more closely is almost always rewarded by a better understanding of the work in question.
