NYC Round-Up, June 2009

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Danny Devenny & Mark Ervine

Danny Devenny and Mark Ervine are two muralists from opposite sides of the political divide. Together, they are crossing the sectarian boundaries of Northern Ireland bringing with them a positive outlook for the future with the murals they paint. This fascinating video is of interest to all peoples working toward peace.

On Meaning and Value in the Contemporary Art Market

The unmistakable aromas of expensive wine, artisan cheese and unrepentant arrogance fill the air. The wealthy and powerful file slowly into the room, followed by the sweet yet faint sound of gold stirring to be freed from silken purses. Meanwhile, behind a dark velvet curtain, a crew of handlers bustle about, preparing the old masters and new phenoms for yet another anxiety-ridden display of pomp and grandeur. In this remote yet exclusive and powerful venue, the stage is set for drama. It’s Sotheby’s in the late spring of 2008 and an art auction is about to begin.

Reporters clamor for prime locations while industry insiders, giddy with excitement, flutter about. Up for grabs tonight are highly valuable and oh so precious works such as Takashi Murakami’s My Lonesome Cowboy (a larger than life fiberglass statue of an anime character delivering a massive splash of semen while stroking an erect penis), Jeff Koons’ Caterpillar Chains (an oogly-googly Technicolor caterpillar hung by 8 bright red chains) and Damien Hirst’s Beautiful (a colorful whirligig created by pouring paint on a spinning disc described in the auction catalog as “childish, expressive, tasteless, not art, over simplistic, throw away.”) (Chelsea) By the end of the night, several hundred million dollars will change hands – along with an immeasurable amount of meaningless, shallow and tacky art.

The oft maligned and deeply mysterious art market is probably a matter of little significance to the vast majority of citizens. Nonetheless, whereas the art market has become the playground of the world’s financial elite – full of intrigue, controversy, extravagance and fierce competition – this unique, introverted and venerable market niche demands a closer examination.

The wealthy elite drop record sums on the morbid caricatures of Damien Hirst and the trivial balloon sculptures of Jeff Koons; meanwhile, the vast majority of the world’s population suffers in starvation, poverty and sub-standard living conditions.

Though some would argue that these opposing extremes are not necessarily causally related, their juxtaposition begs contemplation. To be certain, definitions of meaning are hard to attain, and the value of meaning is hard to quantify; nonetheless, it seems important to try in this modern era of spectacular wealth disparity and growing inequality. For the world is in dire need of messages of instruction, meaning and strength in public places; and, as some propose, art should be the medium to deliver said messages.

Widely recognized author and social commentator Tony Kushner relates the following anecdote in the forward to The Design of Dissent:

"At the beginning of Stendahl’s The Charterhouse of Parma, the French army arrives in Milan, whose citizens, under the despotic rule of the Holy Roman Empire, “were still subject to minor monarchial restrictions that continued to vex them. For instance, the Archduke, who resided in Milan and governed in the name of his cousin the [Holy Roman] Emperor, had conceived the lucrative notion of speculating in wheat. Consequently, no peasant could sell his crop until His Highness’s granaries were full."

"In May 1796, three days after the entry of the French, a young miniaturist named Gros, slightly mad and subsequently famous, arrived with the army and overheard talk in great Caffe dei Servi (fashionable at the time) of the exploits of the Archduke, who happened to be extremely fat. Snatching up the list of ices stamped on a sheet of coarse yellow paper, he drew on the back a French soldier thrusting his bayonet into the obese Archduke’s belly: instead of blood out poured an incredible quantity of grain. The idea of caricature or cartoon was unknown in this nation of wary despotism. The sketch Gros had left on the table of the Caffe dei Servi seemed a miracle from Heaven; it was printed overnight, and twenty thousand copies were sold the next day.” (220-221)

For the casual observer, visual art is a mute signal imbued with implication. For the trained observer, schooled in the context and content of a work, visual art may become an expressive archive of history, meaning and personal or social values. For the skilled creator, however, artwork is a challenge: a puzzle to be solved.

Through sophisticated relationships of color, geometry, form and occasionally wordplay, artists may attempt to endow their works with conscience, social import and the elusive qualities of a perpetual and nearly universal attractiveness. Indeed, the most powerful works – such as those of Leonardo Da Vinci - have even shaped whole societies.

Tony Kushner, having received numerous awards and accolades for his artistic writings and performances exploring issues of gender equality and homosexuality, is uniquely qualified to attest to the value of meaningful work. The passage related above, and the message contained within, speaks to the perennial appraisal of the intention and moral value of artwork which has been common to the appreciation of art for centuries. Yet, to truly understand the significance of meaning and its complicated relationship to visual art, it may prove valuable to gain a brief appreciation of meaning in art from a historical perspective.

Gardner’s Art Through the Ages has provided an important academic read of art history for nearly four decades. Now in its thirteenth edition (written by noted art historian, Fred Kleiner), Art Through the Ages has earned its reputation as an indispensable scholarly authority. As Kleiner details in numerous passages, the importance of meaning in art dates back centuries.

Italian works of the 12th and 13th centuries were typically religious in subject matter, Kleiner relates, as the Church was central to Italians’ understanding of the world around them. Moving toward the Renaissance period, however, artists and intellectuals slowly began to look to humanist values and the natural world for their inspiration and understanding (517).

For modern American artists (concerned largely with issues of freedom, secular events and pure imagination,) it may be difficult to appreciate the extent to which patronage - specifically the patronage of the Church - dictated the creation of art. (Indeed, it is thought an artist was not even likely to create without a formal contract in place.) (528) While this compromise may seem striking, it is perhaps understandable as pieces from these periods - involving plaster work, large stones, intricate leafing and grand scales of construction - typically took years to complete.

Though the church remained a tremendously influential patron of the arts in the 15th century, many European businessmen, dukes and royalty also commissioned works for portraiture, to demonstrate their power, and to decorate their sumptuous homes. (Indeed, powerful Europeans of this period retained the services of artists much as modern corporations secure in-house graphic designers.) (506)

Capitalism began to develop in earnest in Europe at this time, and many painters and craft-peoples - such as Rogier van der Weyden and Jan van Eyck - belonged to guilds and professional trade associations which prevailed over commissions, career management, quality control and pricing (506).

The Protestant Reformation of the 16th century signaled yet another key turning point in the quest for social and spiritual identity which has consumed societies since the dawn of civilization. Of critical issue during the Reformation were questionable Church practices such as the selling of indulgences and tickets to Heaven, papal infallibility and the Church's hoarding of wealth (625).

As Protestants, painters often chose to represent scenes of everyday life (albeit imbued with spiritual meaning and/or instruction.) The thrust of the Protestant message is such that every person should awaken to and cultivate their personal relationship with God. As such, popes and religious hierarchies were not nearly as necessary as a careful examination of the Bible. Protestant sects shunned glorious devotional works in their places of worship; however, the Protestants produced extraordinary social changes by encouraging artists to create and widely distribute informative block prints reflecting Protestant beliefs (625).

Albrecht Durer - though a Catholic - reflected many Protestant views in his work. While the Catholic Church continued to embrace art which emphasized the power and authority of the Church, the Protestant perspective emphasized a humble and personal relationship with God not to be interfered with by grand thematic works and ostentatious religious depictions. (Alternately, a Catholic painter would likely continue in the traditions established in earlier eras, painting religious themes with overt homages to the grandeur, pomp and suffering inherent - and still persistent - in the Catholic experience.) (628)

Albrecht Durer was clearly an innovator. He was successful not only in precision of technique, but also in range of abilities. Simultaneously, capitalism (enabled by printed currency) was reaching deep into what had previously been but a bartering economy for the vast majority of Europeans. While it can be said that Durer (as one of art’s first capitalists) was interested in making what sold - and selling what he made - the range of ideologies and intellectual pursuits expressed in his numerous works clearly express contemplations well beyond mere self-interest. (*Interestingly, some credit Durer's Apocalypse series with being the first art book published purely for profit: whether by financial gain or by the profit of educating others.) (628)

Durer - like most Europeans - was tasked with applying his unique skills toward the security of survival. Unlike most Europeans, however, Durer was uniquely endowed with creative prowess, insatiable curiosity, superlative talents and unparalleled access to the supreme invention of his time: the printing press. While Durer clearly recognized the capitalist value of the press, and its ability to educate the masses, his capitalism was certainly much different than the smash-and-grab, "get as much as you can - as fast as you can" sort of capitalism we find today. Nonetheless, capitalism’s undeniable effect on the art world shall be forever felt from Durer’s day forward (647).

Moving on to the Baroque period, art continues to exemplify the divergent paths of Europe's great religions as artists begin to demonstrate a hardening of conflicting ideologies - revealing unique trend lines in art history. On one hand were loyal classicists; on the other were inventive and confrontational personalities. Thus, some would argue, is definitively born the persona of the Bad Boy (649).

Carracci, a classicist, pursued art from the perspective that innovation springs from the mastery of time-honored techniques. A perfect illustration of this principle in action is Carracci's Loves of the Gods - a collection of massive frescoes adorning the ceiling of Rome's Palazzo Farnese (660).

Alternately, Carracci's peer, Caravaggio, was known to be his era's bad boy of painting. Caravaggio shunned critics by defiantly pursuing his unique personal style. Staging religious spectacles amidst theatrical lighting and grim realities, Caravaggio's paintings often commanded visceral reactions from their audiences (660).

Indeed, 17th century European life was wrought with conflicts and competing ideologies. As religious differences grew ever more contentious, a weary public and an increasingly powerful merchant class moved toward the secularization of government. The Catholic Church - in sharp decline in this era – once again asked of its artists to create compelling works extolling the powers and virtues of the Church (704).

The 18th century - like most of the 17 centuries preceding it - was also a tumultuous time full of political upheaval, revolution and changing social orders. Featuring prominently in this period were the values of the Enlightenment: a movement which idealized the scientific method, tangible data and rational thought. Enlightenment values - inspiring the likes of Thomas Jefferson and other American revolutionaries - sought to empower self-governance, active citizenry, critical observation and progress (751).

In keeping with Enlightenment values, heroism became popular subject matter for artists and propagandists alike. Artistic depictions of the heroic during this period typically portrayed matters of civil duty and grave consequence with a robust affection for drama. Horatio Greenough's statue of George Washington, for example, depicts the American as godly. Similarly, Benjamin West's account of the death of General Wolfe renders his subjects in a saintly aura (764).

Fred Kleiner, once again speaking in Gardner’s Art Through the Ages, of Jacque-Louis David’s Enlightenment values, relates, “subject matter should have a moral and should be presented so that noble deeds in the past could inspire virtue in the present.” Enlightenment values responded to the climate precipitating the French Revolution: rejection of the monarchy, active citizenry, and social progress. Like many of his peers, Jacque-Louis David believed that the commanding power of visual art bespoke an obligation for the artist to use their power constructively and honorably (769.)

While the Enlightenment is noteworthy for its idealism and progressive efforts, not everyone could embrace the inevitability of change (as is often the case). Displaying a charming sentimentality, artists such as Jean-Baptiste-Simeon Chardin and Jean-Baptiste Greuze favored a return to natural lifestyles as expressed in their depictions of rural families and peasant life. In works such as Chardin's Saying Grace, a soft humble life is the desired norm (760).

Additionally, in detailing the beliefs of David’s contemporary, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Fred Kleiner informs, “Rousseau declared that the arts, sciences, society and civilization in general had corrupted ‘natural man’ – people in their primitive state – and that humanity’s only salvation lay in a return to something like ‘the ignorance, innocence and happiness’ of its original condition. Rousseau, Kleiner instructs, went on to say, “Our minds have been corrupted in proportion as the arts and sciences have improved.” (760) Clearly, Rousseau’s perspective couldn’t be more different than David’s. The two, insofar as they represented divergent yet healthy movements in art, were opposite yet equal. Meaning is different for different people.

Moving into the late 19th century, we begin to more clearly see phenomena similar to those governing our contemporary culture. Namely, as populations grow, multiple interests are sustained simultaneously and trends are increasingly divergent. Transportation accelerates and civilization responds in kind (980).

As such, trends tend to dominate for increasingly shorter periods of time; though trends manage to survive and attract numerous followers, new trends seeking their place in popular culture emerge constantly. Trends which once may have remained dominant for nearly a century, may now dominate for only a decade or two (980).

Perhaps perfectly demonstrative of the rapid cultural shifting described above is the Impressionist school of painting. Rather than striving for realism or elaborate fantasies, impressionist painters used quick colorful sketchy strokes to illustrate the elusive and spontaneous qualities of existence, character and perception (985).

Impressionist works, such as those of Monet, sought to capture the essence of a moment rather than the accurate details of an event. Ultimately, however, in keeping with its ephemeral nature, Impressionism was soon rivaled by other movements such as Expressionism and Symbolism (985).

The turning of the twentieth century was again marked by enormous conflict around the globe. Of particular concern to Western civilization, however, were the rise of Communism and numerous European fascist dictatorships, along with World War, the Great Depression and the global spread of corporate capitalism. Artists, deeply affected by the crises surrounding them, began developing a new and influential ethos in which works were built upon the expression of inward feelings rather than traditionally informed empirical observations of the external world (1000).

Numerous forms of expressionism emerged such as Henri Matisse's startling juxtapositions of bold strokes of color, Kandinsky's pure abstraction, Dali's surrealism, Picasso's cubism and Frida Kahlo's disconcerting explorations of her personal pain and remorse. Many, though not all, of the prominent artists belonged to larger identifiable movements; however, the common bond amongst the various movements was an emerging artistic independence, an air of experimentation and a driving desire to express oneself (1004).

Building upon the desire for individualized expression were trends which lifted art above and beyond all previous constraints. The era known as Post-Modern (beginning approximately in the 1950s) bore witness to the development of innumerable movements in art including graffiti, graphic design, photography, computer assisted art, 3D modeling, film, animation, Pop art, conceptual art, psychedelic and visionary art, absurd art, comic art, medical illustration, toy art and minimal art to name but a few (1012).

Inevitably accompanying this extraordinary explosion of creativity were wealthy patrons and contentious critics. With sales spurred by ever more outrageous and controversial works, the art world mushroomed into a massive business by the end of the 20th century: delivering visual content to almost every strata of civilization (1024).

Art patrons wanting to distance themselves from the commercial art created for mass consumption began searching for ever more ostentatious displays of wealth and works which mocked the lifetime skill-building of the traditional masters. The lights of distinguished crafts people, such as James Rosenquist and Will Eisner, were largely diminished by the high dollar art world in favor of celebrities such as Andy Warhol and savants such as Jean-Michel Basquiat. Canned poop (Manzoni) and photographs of anal fisting (Mapplethorpe) soon became the order of the day: controversy exploded, public outrage piqued and sales blasted off beyond charted territory (1024).

Writing for the online publication, The Spoof (though not an academic or reliable source by any stretch of the imagination,) Leonardo Picasso effectively distills the anti art world populist angst as follows, “In an effort to quell the ongoing complaints from gallery goers worldwide over the uncontrolled behavior of galleries and their budgets in presenting ridiculous objects supported by transparent art theory, ‘objects are being re-contextualized,’ claims Curator Christie Spangler.”

Picasso continues, “‘If art is a mirror then we are really sick,’ one of many gallery goers declares. This sentiment is not only directed to Mister Murakami's work but indeed to a wide variety of artists whose work exposes the excesses of the last twenty years, including Damien Hirst and Jeff Koons to mention a few.” (Picasso)

As Picasso confirms, the late 20th century was un-officially known in fine art circles as a period of high decadence, meaningless works and enormous personalities: the era of the artist as rock star, in which it was no longer impossible for an artist to be rich and famous within their own lifetime. Despite public outrage at the excesses of the wealthy (or perhaps because of), sales of high-brow artists such as Damien Hirst, Jeff Koons, and Takashi Murakami reached dizzying heights.

Pick up any analysis of the contemporary art market from the first three quarters of 2008 and you’re likely to find articles exuberantly relating the staggering sums paid by the world’s wealthy elite for works of art. Fueled by cavalier hedge-fund managers, Russian energy barons and an emerging Chinese middle class, art sales enjoyed record growth through 2007 and well into 2008. As Apollo magazine detailed in an August, 2008, editorial, “…record-breaking prices… were paid by someone who has never previously shown much interest in works of art, {dropping} an eye-watering $120m for contemporary art in just two days.”(96)

Apollo attests to the wealth and excess on display, while others attest to the meaninglessness of the works being sold. Dana Friis-Hansen, extolling the virtues of Takashi Murakami in a book celebrating his work, The Meaning of the Nonsense of the Meaning, cautiously considers Murakami’s contemporary works as follows:

"And yet recently he declared, “I wanted to make emptiness into sculpture,” undermining the impression of Murakami as an artist committed to the social and political issues of identity. One is certainly left to wonder whether the high stakes of his recent large-scale projects, along with their increasing visibility in the popular media, might not have distracted him from his earlier, more serious social concerns. Only days before the opening of the survey exhibition at Bard College he commented, “Now my concept is more pure: I make what I like to make. Right now the young female audience is the hardest to attract, and the challenge of my newest work is to get popular with that group.” (31)

Sadly, though, meaninglessness and wealth often leave little else to talk about (other than meaninglessness and wealth). Indeed, as Apollo Magazine gushed in the News and Analysis editorials of their issue dated July/August, 2008,

What can one say about the latest and ever more astounding round of contemporary-art auctions in New York, except comment that the prices on the secondary market are now well out of control, and applaud the auction-houses for their continuing success in encouraging the world’s super-rich to jump in and join the party? (96)

Speaking of the auction described at the beginning of this paper, Apollo proclaims,

"…these prices were not just higher than anticipated, but huge – multiples of published estimates. Yves Klein and Gerhard Richter sold for three times their estimates; Takashi Murakami’s outrageous My Lonesome Cowboy, estimated at $3m-$4m, realized $15m. Market insiders had predicted that while the best of the evenings’ offerings would do well, the less appealing lots and the day sales would suffer. Sotheby’s not only had its best evening sale ever, but a day sale that once again broke through the $100m barrier, realizing a record $107m, with 57% of lots selling above the high ends of their estimates." (96)

“It is clear that contemporary art remains the purchase of choice of today’s rich…,” Apollo declares. Filling the article with giddy tales of celebrity sightings and new standards of gross consumption, Apollo expresses no remorse at the amount of money exchanged without value to society, nor any awareness whatsoever that many of their own jobs would likely soon be in grave danger with the impending economic collapse of 2009. While resting on past laurels, Apollo delights in taunting the voice of reason; and, for a short time, the art market realizes record growth.

And so it goes… the rich delight in the folly of gathering trite baubles for sums which could pave roads, develop alternative energy models, cure diseases, restore habitats, educate hundreds or feed thousands. While these pompous expenditures certainly aren’t illegal or even necessarily wrong (in an objective sense), such excess is nonetheless disconcerting and embarrassing to many.

To further demonstrate the case in point is the example of Damien Hirst. Hirst, at the pinnacle of the anxiety surrounding the meaninglessness of contemporary art, is the wealthiest living artist ever. As a legendary member of the 1990s art movement known as Britart, Damien Hirst has reached the ultimate heights of the art world – and inspired endless controversy. His work consisting only of a dead shark suspended in vitrine, The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living, sold in 2004 for a record $8 million.

The Wikipedia entry for Damien Hirst aptly summarizes the dissenting opinions on Damien’s work (and art world triviality) as follows:

The Stuckist art group… wrote: “The fact that Hirst's work does mirror society is not its strength but its weakness - and the reason it is guaranteed to decline artistically (and financially) as current social modes become outmoded. What Hirst has insightfully observed of his spin-paintings in Life and Death and Damien Hirst is the only comment that needs to be made of his entire oeuvre: "They're bright and they're zany - but there's fuck all there at the end of the day."

In 2003, under the title A Dead Shark Isn't Art, the Stuckism International Gallery exhibited a shark which had first been put on public display two years before Hirst's by Eddie Saunders in his Shoreditch shop, JD Electrical Supplies. Thomson asked, "If Hirst’s shark is recognised as great art, then how come Eddie’s, which was on exhibition for two years beforehand, isn’t? Do we perhaps have here an undiscovered artist of genius, who got there first, or is it that a dead shark isn’t art at all?"

In 2008, leading art critic Robert Hughes said Hirst was responsible for the decline in contemporary art… Hughes called Hirst's shark in formaldehyde "the world's most over-rated marine organism" and attacked the artist for "functioning like a commercial brand," making the case that Hirst and his work proved that financial value was now the only meaning that remained for art. (Wikipedia)

Identifiable movements are the stock and trade of the art world – reaching farther into art history than even capitalism. So, too, is outrage and controversy surrounding art central to the profitable operation of the art industry. Often, art which was provocative in its time may be seen historically as having defined the era (for example: Impressionism). Seen in this light, and in defense of Damien Hirst and others like him, perhaps it is the movement of meaninglessness that is valuable in and of itself.

After all, consider the work of Marcel Duchamp and the Dadaists as related, once again, by Fred Kleiner in Art Through the Ages. Born in France and enormously influential in America, Duchamp, as a member of the Dada movement, regarded the contemporary art world with considerable disdain. The Dada movement (initiated as a reaction to World War I) promoted political anarchy and the irrational through subversive, often humorous, works which attacked every principle of artistic convention (931).

Indeed, Duchamp's Fountain (composed of a porcelain urinal and little else) set the art world ablaze: forcing artists and audiences alike to view artistic norms - along with common readily available objects - in an entirely new light. Duchamp insisted it was not the artists' creation of an object which defined art; rather, it is the choosing and identification of an object which imposes art upon it (931).

Duchamp faced endless challenge and criticism throughout his career, yet the true Dada delighted in controversy. Forward, avant-garde and confrontational at every turn, Duchamp and the Dada movement succeeded in radically expanding the public's - as well as the art world's - perception of art, legitimate expression and possibility (934).

Nonetheless, the argument in favor of the value of meaninglessness soon degrades into more meaningless blather. Duchamp shocked the art world with a urinal in 1917. From that perspective, Damien Hirst killing sharks in 2004 for play and profit is hardly novel or inventive. It’s simply cruelty for the sake of greed. Lynn Barber reports that Damien Hirst - responding to accusations that The Physical Impossibility of Death… was too simple to be art and could have easily been made by anyone - replied, “But you didn’t, did you?” (Barber) Meanwhile, Hirst has gone on to sell more dead animals, sharks included, for record prices.

Indeed, as art has evolved into a spectacle of consumption, certain art has so thoroughly and absolutely divorced itself from all discernible meaning, as to impart no value except for financial value alone. Naturally, the rich are entitled to their vices, follies and frivolous displays of wealth; yet, when seen from a populist perspective, one has to wonder if something hasn’t gone horribly awry with the “Trickle Down” economics we were promised in the 1980s (coinciding with what may be considered the launch of the meaningless art bubble).

Art is a powerful business and depth of meaning is possibly essential to the construction of our shared narratives; therefore, it is perhaps an innate urge to search for meaning in art. Individuals and social groups search for meaning in many other disciplines, too, such as business, law, medicine etc. Meaning provides a basis for shared understanding which in turn leads to social cohesion. Protecting social cohesion works to the benefit of all members of the society; alternately, destroying cohesion, one may argue, works to benefit only a few.

Advanced civilizations are generally built upon the basic assumption that healthy societies cannot function normally without adherence to governing principles (principles which are embedded in the hearts, minds and values of individuals – rather than proclamations which are mandated and enforced through legislation or religious dogma.)

Given the especially tumultuous and disconcerting sensation of the current era, an exploration of the governing principles of meaning and pragmatism may prove especially relevant at this time. Numerous studies indicate the world is rapidly expanding in chaotic and unnerving ways. There are staggering numbers of humans whose lives can serve no useful purpose living in desperate and untenable conditions. Should they carelessly be lost to the ages – along with thousands of species in similar disrepair – the important lessons they bring will be lost along with them.

Alan Moore (the wickedly clever and enormously insightful author of numerous modern classics such as The Watchmen and V for Vendetta,) astutely observes the decline of meaning in art while speaking in The Mindscape of Alan Moore,

"If I write a crappy comic book, it doesn't cost the budget of an emergent Third World nation [such as in the creation of Hollywood blockbusters]. When you've got these kinds of sums involved in creating another two hours of entertainment for Western teenagers, I feel it crosses the line from being merely distasteful to being wrong." (Mindscape)

As a fierce critic of the modern mass media industry who has adamantly opposed the making of his written works into movies, Alan Moore calls upon us to consider the value of information in our modern age. Works of human ingenuity, Alan argues, are the expression of a timeless intelligence which underlies all existence. Therefore the works of mass media (advertisements, movies, etc.) - built by manipulative corporations upon a careful awareness of their inherent effectiveness - are unfairly powerful and should be countered by the efforts of sincere artists and craftspeople. (Mindscape)

For as the world seemingly drifts toward oblivion, there is an exceptional bond, a gravity, which holds us together and draws us back toward centeredness. Such is the nature of existence as we’ve heretofore known it.

Will art rescue us? No – not in itself – but it may yet prove an exceptionally valuable tool in instructing others how to rescue themselves. From the propaganda of the Western churches to the imperial commands of the Eastern dynasties, art has always been used for instructive and demonstrative purposes. And well it should, for art certainly rates among the most powerful forms of communication. Indeed, the spectacular sales of graphic novels along with film, video games and interactive media should leave little doubt that the influence of visual communication is very much alive and well.

Some would propose we are on the cusp of the genesis of an entirely new and unprecedented cosmology. Given art’s historical value, it is reasonable to assume that the visual arts will be central to the unfolding of the next incremental stage of evolution as well. As such, an inquiry into the value of art is not merely an obstacle and an obligation; rather, it is a privilege and an honor.

Afterword

Upon completion of this document, and on the day in which I prepared to submit my final draft for compulsory evaluation, I received a few small yet noteworthy gifts. My employers sent me on a delivery run to the remote reaches of Vermont to bring a wooden pantry to a monastery.

The drive to the monastery had several auspicious events: first, a large hairy wolf spider climbed down from the visor and into my lap. Freaking out, I stopped the van, jumped out and helped shuttle the spider out of the van and across the road. Arriving at the monastery, and driving down the lane to the building, I noticed a rabbit running through the woods immediately next to the van.

Once inside the monastery, I learned that the monks professed to be of a Passionist order devoted to Saint Francis and the recognition of the Earth, organic agriculture and the well-being of all living creatures.

Immediately in love with the monastery and its breath-taking environs, I noticed one of the keepers had created several wonderful paintings of various saints. Bringing the pantry upstairs, I noticed a stack of prints of a lovely image of Saint Mary of the Cosmos. Agreeing to trade one for one of my prints at a later date, I was given one of the prints of this original and unique vision of Saint Mary.

Pleased with my gift, I began the long drive home excited to tell my family about the new art. To pass the time on the drive, I listened to several programs on public radio. Interestingly enough, three programs featured in-depth discussions on form and technique with prominent fiction writers, while a fourth program explored a provocative work of non-fiction.

And so it came to pass that on the same day that I would submit a paper I’d spent many weeks writing about art and meaning, I was blessed by the Great Spirit with a work of meaningful art, and a few hours of lively conversations on writing.

The central thesis of the study of this work may be summarized as, “Because the uppermost echelons of the art world have recently reached extraordinary heights of commercial exchange (while much of the world suffers), it is important to examine the meaningful value of their activity.” However, more to the point, though, the basic idea of my writing is that the value of art cannot be determined by cost alone.

Indeed, as I’ve attempted to demonstrate (in a rather circuitous way), cost often has little or no bearing on meaning. It seems all too often that artists struggling to explore meaning do so without the benefit of financial rewards. Yet, I am tremendously encouraged by the groundswell of community-oriented artistic activity that I’ve witnessed during the research for this document.

There are communities forming daily, featuring the works of hundreds of passionate, inspired and supremely talented artists – professional and amateur alike. The works shown belong to widely varied movements ranging from photography, vector art, graphic design, 3-D abstract and Arabic calligraphy to mention only a few. (For examples, see Deviant Art, Depth Core, Cloud Lovers, etc.) While not all of the work attempts to convey meaning, all work is equally available for public view and consideration.

In fact, there is arguably more meaningful and thoughtfully conceived art in the public domain now than there has ever been in the history of civilization. The rich spectrum of the human archetype is now fully in plain view, completely free and ready for exploration (by those who aren’t afraid to dive in).

In defense of the art world, I have also noticed a tremendous shift in popularity which steers attention away from the trivialities and morbid curiosities of personalities such as Hirst, and back toward cultural critics such as Shepard Fairey, Swoon, David Ellis, Barry McGee, Ryan McGinness, Mike Giant, Mark Gonzales and dozens more too numerous to mention. As the art world has always operated on a parallel with the historical world, trends in art indicate the possibility for an emergent and hopeful age.

The world is indeed rapidly expanding in chaotic and unnerving ways. However, it is simultaneously experiencing an unprecedented shift toward a new cohesion. As mentioned in the conclusion of this paper, I believe there is a new cosmology emerging: a new and wholly modern understanding of the nature of existence. This cosmology operates as it always has: independent of our intentions and independent of our complete comprehension. Nonetheless, it is a life giving force for which there can be nothing but the highest value.

Works Cited

Art History Guide; History of Art, Artists and Art Movements; www.arthistoryguide.com
“Art Market: News, Analysis and Previews for Collectors.” Apollo Magazine, July- August, 2008: 96-97.

Barber, Lynn. Bleeding Art; The Observer, April 20, 2003; http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/2003/apr/20/thesaatchigallery.art6

Chelsea Art Galleries; Contemporary Art Evening Auction at Sotheby’s, New York, May 14, 2008; http://chelseaartgalleries.com/auctions/with?sale=S40

Friis-Hansen, Dana, Amanda Cruz and Midori Matsui; Takashi Murakami: The Meaning of the Nonsense of the Meaning; 31. New York, NY: Harry Abrams, 1999.

Glaser, Milton and Mirko Ilic. The Design of Dissent; 220-221. Gloucester, MA: Rockport Publishers, 2005.

Kleiner, Fred. Gardner’s Art Through the Ages: A Global History - Volume 2. 13th ed. 497-1026. New York: Wadsworth Publishing, 2008.

Hammond, Prosciutto; Where Cheese is King; Bread Between the Lines. 1sted. New Work: Double Double Day Day, 2009.

Picasso, Leonardo; Murakami “Oval Buddha” out of Orbit; The Spoof!; March 31, 2009; http://www.thespoof.com/news/spoof.cfm?headline=s3i50467

Stokstad, Marilyn. Art History - Volume 2. 2nd ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall Publishers, 2001.

The Mindscape of Alan Moore. Dir. Dez Vylenz. Subject: Alan Moore. DVD. Shadow Snake Films, 2003.

Wikipedia; Damien Hirst; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Damien_Hirst

The Incredible Art of Peter Aschwanden

via Peter Aschwanden

Green Mountain Monastery

via Green Mountain Monastery

"Mary of the Cosmos, in her iconoclastic form with the spherical Earth at her center, brings attention to the planet as the primary sacred community and the locus for our encounter with the Divine. This image calls attention to Earth as a one time endowment and the immediate place in which the Divine is revealed to us."

Artist: Bernadette Bostwick, sgm

One World In Concert

via One World In Concert

Vegas Color 2009

No Guts... No Glory!

Perspective...

All you need is LOVE!