“The painting we bought is certainly abstract,” said Mr. and Mrs. Davis. “But it’s not modern art. We prefer representational art. The artist should have been able to know that before he started the painting.”
Mr. and Mrs. Davis were never going to be happy with this painting, no matter what the painter did or didn’t do. The problem was they hadn’t specified their concerns before the artist started his work, so how could the artist know what was required?
The trouble was that Mr. and Mrs. Davis weren’t just any clients; they were collectors who had a reputation for appreciating abstract art (while having a distaste for so-called “representational art”). This made them very difficult clients for Mr. Wilson (the painter) to please – especially since he was hoping to make a sale – and it also made it difficult for him to figure out what exactly was wrong with his work without asking them directly, which would have been highly impolite.*
Asking questions of your clients is important in any business; but in this case it was especially important because different people define abstract art in different ways**.* The artist had to
Artwork is a commodity, and with any commodity, if the price is too high, there will not be enough demand to supply what could be sold. If the price is too low, there will be too much supply. The trick for an artist (or any producer of goods or services) is to get the price exactly right.
I have had my paintings reviewed by non-artists who were not familiar with how artworks are priced. They thought they were getting a good deal when they found an artwork they wanted for $50 because it was “only” $50. If I had charged $250, they would have complained that I was charging too much. But if I charged $25 or less, I would not have covered my costs and would have lost money on the sale.
Those unfamiliar with how artworks are priced also do not realize that when they say they “love” an artwork and really want it but tell me they can’t afford it, that means I am charging too little and the price needs to be higher. It is frustrating to hear this from people who love your work but don’t have enough money to buy it.
I recently had someone tell me that he “loved” one of my paintings but couldn’t afford it,
Abstract art is a modern phenomenon. In the 19th century, it was a practice that only the most daring artists would attempt. It was often called “futurism” by those who were not impressed with the new trend.
The first abstract artists were ridiculed and they risked losing their credibility as serious artists. Some of them were branded as “modern artists” and were dismissed as non-artists by the mainstream art community of that time. However, one man proved that he would not be held back by the opinions of others or by what had been done before him: Wassily Kandinsky.
Tackling the established norms head on, Kandinsky proved that abstraction was not just another passing trend, but an entirely new way of painting that changed the history of art forever.
After working hard to create a painting, you would be heartbroken if someone criticised it without understanding why you painted it. Some people will never understand your art and that is their loss. But most people really do want to understand what others have made and will try to understand it.
Telling the story of your painting through words helps other people to see what is special about it.
Describing how the painting was created makes your story more interesting and helps others to see the painting in a new light. This can give them new respect for your personal vision and for your creativity.
A blog is a great place to explain why you chose a particular subject, how you made the painting, or why you did not like a particular discussion about your work. You can also post pictures of paintings you have sold and show how they look in their settings.”
An artist is someone who creates art, especially visual art, music, literature or film.
An artist is also a person who uses a medium to create something which has to do with art.
For example: a person who makes sculptures or paintings is an artist. A person who writes books or stories is an artist.
Finally, a person who teaches about art is an artist too.
If you asked me to paint a picture for you, I could do it. I am having trouble with the definition of what exactly my style of Abstract Art will be, but I could copy something that is already there in some museum somewhere. For example, I could copy this painting:
http://www.whitney.org/art/collection/artists/pablo-picasso/picasso-blue-period/
I would not call what I made abstract art because it is so obviously trying to be a copy of that painting. It would look like this:
http://i.imgur.com/G7Vu0.jpg
If you asked me to do a portrait of you, I might be able to do that too, though it would probably be ugly and awful looking and not represent you at all well. If you are patient and kind enough to let me keep trying over and over again, my style might develop into something more abstract like this: http://i.imgur.com/U5MkS.jpg The problem with this one is that it might be so abstract that it does not look like anything at all!
If you wanted me to paint a sunrise for you, I’d probably fail miserably because
