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09/01/2004: "Could The Real Art World Please Stand Up ?" by John Nolan
Today his canvases and drawings are sold for millions. As an artist he struggled relentlessly against alcoholism, insanity, poverty and even hunger. He failed miserably when attempting to set up an artists colony with the painter Paul Gauguin. During his manic self - mutilation and eventual suicide, his brother Theo Van Gogh was a bedrock of loyal support. Sadly , he took his own life, aged 37 on Sunday 27th July 1890.114 years later the " art world " or at least a large percentage of it, has learned nothing from another episode in art history - at least they are consistent.. One of the most original artists ever Vincent Van Gogh , needless to say was continuously ignored when he was alive, as no doubt he would be if he were living and painting amongst us today !
It is a sad truth to admit , but it seems to me that the artist today is merely considered as a commodity to people with real jobs such as most gallerists, critics and collectors ! The creative spirit is only celebrated when converted into monetary profit. Unfortunately it is very rarely that the artist benefits from this bonanza. The very people who would have chosen to ignore Vincent in the 1880's unfortunately some of their counterparts are the people today who hoard his work and speak of him as if they would have cradled his creativity and nurtured his wondrous sensitive vista.
Nonsense - these opportunists are among us today creating artists overnight for their own financial gain, they have no interest in the creativity of developing new avenues of artistic expression, of exploring new art forms, of understanding the artist, etcetera ... Art is about greed... Its about money, and more importantly - its about celebrity !
Forget about the artistic process, it doesn't need to exist... Do you know any celebrities ?.....That's the important question.
Why is it that the only thing we learn from the history of art is that it teaches us nothing. Because most of the so called arbiters of taste are not interested in the artist , only in the possibility of monetary gain, regardless of the veracity or quality of the artwork.
Have you ever seen a gallery which resembles an artists studio ? Why do we feel uncomfortable in most galleries, they are too sterile, too removed, unreal, detached, shallow ..... Do we create art in the same ambience ? Why is a gallery the total opposite to an artists studio ? Is the studio - the coal-face of creativity considered unclean ? - The garret where the artist struggles to create and survive, is never used as a model for a gallery design. Francis Bacons entire studio has become an exhibit in The Hugh Lane Gallery in Dublin City, Ireland. Has the artists studio now become a work of art? No - but one can charge people an admission to view it...... ! Maybe they should instead exhibit his brain, the source of his creativity........... !
Every day, in the relentless heat of the summer, Vincent would go out and set up easel and palette. He would paint all night , he tied candles on the rim his hat. In Autumn he fought the elements and weighted his canvas to the ground with heavy boulders........ he would work to breaking point, painting up to 16 hours a day. In the last year of his life he produced 200 paintings. For the last six weeks of his life he lived in Auvers Sur Oise where he was placed in the care of Dr. Gachet, who became a soul mate, spending many hours with him, offering help, advice and support.
When Vincent shot himself, Dr. Gachet was present with Theo at his bedside. Vincent lay awake all night and , at one o'clock the following morning he died in his brothers arms .
The previous February of 1890 a painting of an Arles vineyard was sold for 400 francs in a Brussels exhibition. It was the only canvas Vincent sold, it was simply signed Vincent............
Today Vincent Van Gogh has been turned into a huge multi-million dollar industry. His work is collected by people who have so much money they don't know what to do with it.The ridiculous prices paid for his work would have meant nothing to Vincent or other artists, beyond keeping poverty at bay. If these so called patrons of the arts truly wished to support the arts and artists, a fraction of these silly amounts of monies could easily be put into helping struggling artists, without whom none of these, galleries, collectors or critics, God bless them, would exist .............Instead they choose to use the works of art as playthings, to show off their wealth and strengthen their monetary grossness on the stock exchange..... What an insult to the genuine art world, if such a thing exists ....... Somewhere out there ...... ?
And when no hope was left in sight, on that starry starry night........................................................................
By: John Nolan http://www.absolutearts.com/portfolios/j/johnnie/
