At this point, we have seen so many artworks sell for unbelievable prices that we have trouble keeping up. Of course, when a true masterpiece like Leonardo da Vinci’s Salvator Mundi sells for $450.3 million we can try to understand. That’s several large fortunes put together, but it’s a world-historic treasure. Remember earlier this year when somebody spent $69 million on a JPG file? That can be a lot harder to justify, and we will delve into the specifics of this deal in a separate article. We might just chalk this up to the eccentricities of extreme wealth. These are centimillionaires and billionaires who have so much wealth that they lose touch with reality. But that doesn’t quite explain it, does it? That answer is more of a shrug than an insight. So why do people spend so much money on art? What’s the psychology underlying this phenomenon? And what are the real factors at play? Let’s examine it in-depth below: Cultural and Aesthetic Significance: Art has always reflected human creativity, history, and culture. Owning a significant artwork allows individuals to immerse themselves in the rich tapestry of artistic expression throughout the ages. Collectors appreciate the aesthetic beauty, craftsmanship, and unique perspectives conveyed by artists, and they are driven by a desire to preserve and enjoy these cultural treasures. By owning valuable pieces, they contribute to safeguarding artistic heritage for future generations. Art as an Investment: One of the most important things to understand when you see the big time price tags is that art retains value very well. A major art purchase is more like buying a house than buying a car. A car will almost never increase in value over time, especially as you add miles to the odometer. But a house, depending on how you treat it and the changes in the neighborhood over time, can easily increase in value. That means when you move out of a house, you can make a profit when you resell. When people spend millions on art, they are usually thinking of it as an investment. They might genuinely love the work of art and enjoy having it on their walls for years to come, but they expect to be able to recoup the cost later on down the road. And, with a bit of luck, they might make a lot of money on it. And for people with vast amounts of wealth, they need to park their money somewhere. Having money sitting around in a bank account isn’t able to create value. But buying art can lead to a profit in the long run — and it’s a much more pleasurable way to invest your money than stocks, real estate, or other more traditional means. So it’s important to remember that when someone spends millions on a work of art, it’s more like parking their money in artwork for a period of time. Reputation, Status and Prestige: Art ownership has been associated with status, prestige, and social recognition for centuries. Let’s face it, being the winning bidder at a Christie’s auction can set you apart as a leading collector in the art world. Being a major player is a part of what drives many rich people to spend their wealth on big ticket items. Whether you have an amazing yacht, a fantastic getaway mansion in the mountains, or a world class collection of 18th century European paintings — it’s a way of garnering prestige and cultivating a luxurious lifestyle. Acquiring high-value artworks allows individuals to display their refined taste and discernment in the art world. These investments become symbols of wealth and sophistication, elevating the collector's reputation within elite circles. Art collections often serve as a tangible representation of personal success and cultural refinement, positioning collectors as influential patrons of the arts. Big time art buyers can even influence general tastes and become sought after presences at major auctions and art events. It’s a form of status symbol and belonging to a group. Emotional Connection and Personal Enjoyment: Art possesses a unique ability to evoke deep emotions and captivate our imagination. Collectors often develop profound connections with specific artists or works, drawn to the narrative, symbolism, or technical brilliance that resonates with them. Acquiring a unique piece allows individuals to experience a sense of fulfilment, joy, and intellectual stimulation in their daily lives, creating an endless source of inspiration and pleasure. Support for Artists and Art Institutions: By investing millions in art, collectors also play a vital role in supporting artists and art institutions. These acquisitions give artists the resources and recognition they need to continue their creative endeavours. Galleries, museums, and auction houses benefit from the patronage of collectors, enabling them to curate exhibitions, promote artistic talent, and preserve cultural heritage. Many of the Museums and Art Galleries are predominantly supported by donations from the elites who have been generous in keeping the cultural heritages intact. What Is the Value of Art? The last reason gets at the heart of how virtually endless supplies of money reveals the true relative value of items. If you don’t have a lot of money, you’re going to spend most or all of it on the essentials: rent, groceries, the electric bill, gasoline, etc. Just getting by eats up most people’s money. But if you have a lot of money, those needs become a much smaller amount of your budget. Yes, rich people might spend more on food, but spending ten times as much on buying fancy groceries is nothing if you are in the ultra-rich category. This excess wealth can be spent on many things. Luxury travel, palatial homes, Rolex watches, and all the other trappings of high society. But some rich people love art. And that’s where things get interesting. How much is a painting really worth? Most of us could never afford to spend thousands, let alone millions, on art. We have a hard enough time covering the car payment and paying for our kids to take music lessons. But the rich do have the means to spend huge sums on anything they want. And the high prices of art reveal that people are willing to spend a lot on art because it’s worth it to them. The emotional power of a painting, the historic importance of a sculpture, the hypnotic allure of a fine art photograph. When you don’t have to worry about everyday expenses, these joys reveal their full value. And as art lovers, can we really disagree? Conclusion The decision to spend millions on art represents a complex interplay of cultural appreciation, personal enjoyment, social status, and investment potential. Collectors are driven by a deep passion for art, the desire to surround themselves with beauty, and the opportunity to contribute to the art world's vibrant ecosystem. Whether it is the emotional connection with a particular artwork, the pursuit of prestige, or the potential for financial gains, investing in art allows individuals to weave themselves into the fabric of artistic history while creating a legacy that transcends time. Author: Jonathan M Clark

RtistiQ

16 May 2021

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There is a long connection between Art depicting the beauty and bounty of the natural world and movements to protect the environment. Where there is one, there is the other. Artists are able to highlight the special bond we have to planet Earth. With the majority of humans now living in urban environments, and many of us spending much of our time inside or engaged in digital spaces, our link to the Earth can feel diminished. But great art can wake us up and bring us back to an awareness of the importance of our environment and the dire situation many ecosystems are facing today. In Southeast Asia, the situation appears to be in the eleventh hour. Massive habitat loss over the past three decades has led to many species facing extinction, and the last century has seen horrific atrocities committed to the very landscape through the use of defoliants — a form of chemical warfare that kills trees and plants by removing the leaves. But artists are now coming to the rescue, using their talent to raise awareness and improve discourse on this critical issue. And so for Earth Day, let’s look at one organization that is leading the way to help artists create the work that will inspire a new generation of people to save the planet. The Pardicolor Creative Arts Fund Wildlife Asia launched the Pardicolor Creative Arts Fund in April 2020. The fund provides Southeast Asian artists with vital financial support to promote artwork that highlights wildlife, biodiversity, the environment, and society. PARDICOLOR works with artists in a variety of mediums, from painting and drawing to sculpture, film, and beyond. The key for the fund is to find artists that bring viewers closer to the environmental issues that define out times. So far, they’ve assisted nine artists and art collectives from the Philippines, Myanmar, Laos, Malaysia, and Thailand. The fund encourages many approaches to their mission, including: works that promote the scientific understanding of ecosystems, highlight conservation work or lesser known and endangered species, art collaborations with researchers, work that speaks to a particular issue like poaching or climate change, and more. For instance, the series More Than Meets the Eye by Singapore-based photographer Jasvic Lye magnifies the intricate textures of creatures that live in Singapore. The images are luminescent and deeply felt. A close up photograph of a eurasian wild pig’s eye expresses the depth of inner experience in the animal. Another piece shows the exquisite finery of the oriental dollarbird’s feathers. The entire series gives us an intimacy with these creatures that are so often disregarded. Appropriately enough, entries for the fund’s 2021 round of grants open on April 22nd and will close on July 31st. This year, PARDICOLOR is generating a series of small grants that focus on three special themes. Art of Darkness Art of Darkness celebrates the nocturnal wildlife and environment in Southeast Asia. While seldom seen by humans, this fascinating realm of the night is just as important to protect. A Million Textures In this broad theme, artists are encouraged to engage with the patterns and colors found in the diverse natural world of Southeast Asia. PARDICOLOR encourages a breadth of interpretation, even including bioacoustics and “feeling” as different kinds of natural textures. Imagining Super Landscapes In Imagining Super Landscapes, artists are tasked with conjuring up a vision of a future Southeast Asia where cities, forests, and all the living beings in both might live in balance. It is a fun, speculative theme that gives artists a chance to advocate for solutions. United Nation Environment Programme (UNEP) UNEP is another major initiative dedicated to Environmental issues and promoting sustainable development across the world. Established in Kenya in the year 1972, UNEP recognises the power of Art as a unique and impactful tool for Environment Protection. It has been leveraging Art as a medium to raise awareness, engage communities and convey the urgency of environmental issues and climate impact to a wider audience. Art and the Environment Nonprofits like PARDICOLOR remind us of how important artists can be in communicating issues to the public. And as the environmental crisis is the defining issue of our age, it’s essential that we have artwork that engages this issue. Art can inspire us, inform us, and call us to action. It can be the spark that creates the next fight to protect an endangered species, that stops the destruction of a local ecosystem, or even turns the tide against climate change.

RTISTIQ TEAM

24 Apr 2021

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Abstract art has roots across many cultures, and the contemporary art scene is now filled with many artists working in the abstract from every region on Earth. Hence, the understanding of abstract art can vary among individuals with different backgrounds. Below, we’ve assembled 10 of the most exciting abstract artists from Southeast Asia. These artists represent a wide variety of aesthetic approaches and span multiple generations. What is clear from these artists is that Southeast Asia continues to produce some of the most exciting voices in the world of abstract art. No survey of the field is complete without their work. Vietnam 1. Ha Manh Thang (b. 1980) Cry For A Flag #2 (2020) [SOURCE] Ha Manh Thang is a Vietnamese artist who is working at the forefront of his culture. As tidal shifts continue to occur since Doi Moi — a series of reforms set forth in 1986 that have brought Western corporations and values into the country — he discusses these ongoing changes on the canvas. His abstract works are as much studies in texture as in color, using the paint to build forms that cast shadows and reach out from the surface. While his figurative pieces are often satirical confrontations with society, these newest experimentations give his work a more universal tone. Ha Manh Thang received a degree from Hanoi Fine Arts University in 2004, going on to participate in several notable regional and international exhibitions. He currently lives in Hanoi. 2. Tulip Duong (b. 1966) My Window (2018) [SOURCE] Tulip Duong revels in the fast paced, the things in the world that are coming into being. Her abstract art borders on representation, though it never quite coheres into a full image. Instead, the pieces hang in that liminal space just before fully materializing. Working from her Hanoi studio, Tulip Duong has shown work around the world, touching on global issues while still maintaining Vietnamese characteristics in her compositions. This riveting connection is held together by her singular voice. The centrality of her viewpoint runs throughout her oeuvre, even as her paintings continue to explore new horizons. Since 2000, Tulip Duong’s work has appeared in several group and solo shows, as well as publications. 3. Tran Tuan (b. 1961) Spring (2012) [SOURCE] Vietnamese artist Tran Tuan’s career covers many different forms and approaches, but all of his work stands out as vivid, colorful and energetic studies. These paintings are alive with bold, heavy brushstrokes stitched together in unexpected ways. His abstract work takes a maximalist approach, every inch of his canvases are alive and urgent. He manages these brilliant palettes through an almost athletic vigor. The overwhelming images deliver the viewer over to a world entirely its own, one built out of dazzling color and intricate brushwork. Tran Tuan’s work appears in private collections throughout Europe, North America and Australia. He received his degree from Fine Art University of Hanoi in 1990. Indonesia 4. Christine Ay Tjoe (b. 1973) Large Space of Shoots #2 (2020) [SOURCE] Chrstine Ay Tjoe is an Indonesian artist who restlessly seeks out the depths of the human condition. Her work spans many mediums, including: intaglio prints, textiles, painting, drawing, sculpture and large-scale installations. Her abstract paintings carry on the mission of her entire career, evoking the power — and darkness — in subjective experience. These works are splashes of complex forms on white canvas, both cryptic and beautiful. While an initial glance might only find confusion, a closer look reveals intricate control and detail work. These are intricately crafted pieces, with forms that seem to arise spontaneously out of the amorphous composition. Christine Ay Tjoe works in Bandung, her hometown. Her work has appeared around the world. 5. Erizal As (b. 1979) Formless Existence (2019) [SOURCE] Erizal As creates rhythmic, almost musical abstract works. His muscular brushstrokes and use of heavy layers of paint create crowded canvases that deliver up an excessive bounty. In all that excess is patterning akin to syncopation, a tension between the expectation of the viewer and where the art ultimately takes them. His work deals in real subject matter, but it handles scenes and portraiture in an entirely abstract way. This approach delivers an experience very rare in abstract painting, again testing expectations. His work often takes on themes like authenticity, or the lack of it, often with a critical eye toward society and power. Erizal As received his education at the Indonesian Institute of Fine Art. His selected group and solo exhibitions have appeared across Southeast Asia. 6. Rinaldi Syam (b. 1976) Landscape Color (2019) [SOURCE] Rinaldi Syam is a painter and sculptor working out of Indonesia. His abstract paintings are filled with sumptuous forms in a kind of collage, quilted together in rough edged regions. The soft texture draws the eye in, and the complex composition keeps the viewer there to decode what they have found. His work sometimes moves from the abstract to the surreal, but always with hallucinatory grandeur and a deeply felt sense of beauty. While his canvas sometimes overflows with detail, there is a gentleness to his technique, always rendering forms with reverence. That care and tenderness seeps out when looking at his paintings, a calming force that quietsthe space. Rinaldi Syam lives and works in Yogyakarta. His work has won several awards in both Indonesia and Japan. Thailand: 7. Nim Kruasaeng (b. 1974) [SOURCE] Nim Kruasaeng’s paintings are simple, elegant observations. Their presence is unassuming and yet captivating. They gradually make their way through to the viewer, never demanding attention but always earning it — the way you lean in when someone whispers. The pieces often rely on rhythm and a palette of only two or three colors. Her ability to get the most out of these pared down elements reveals the mastery of the artist and her guiding obsessions: the relation between bodies in space, the pleasure of a perfect line, the ability to say more with suggestion than direct description. It is through thesegrounding ideas that her delicate and meditative work flows. Nim Kruaseng is a self-taught artist who found recognition in the 1990’s from peers in the Thai art scene. She currently lives and works in both Bangkok and Pattaya. 8. Udomsak Krisanamis (b. 1966) Your Disco Needs You (2001) [SOURCE] Udomsak Krisanamis has built a career out of conceptually rigorous paintings that continue to develop a single line of thought. Through the integration of mixed-media on his canvas — including cellophane, noodles, newspaper, among other items — he builds pieces that combine strict formalism with exploration at the borders of these self-imposedlimits. The diversity born out of this single project is sweeping, though always anchored by his trademark style. The longer one takes in his work, the more one gets into the headspace of its creator. It is a journey into an uncompromising artistic vision that continues to remake the world. Udomsak Krisanamis currently lives and works in Bangkok. He received his education at Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok and the Art Institute of Chicago. His solo and group exhibitions have shown internationally. Singapore: 9. Genevieve Chua (b. 1984) EdgeControl #21, More True Than False (2017) [SOURCE] Genevieve Chua makes abstract work that seeks to evoke natural forms while always inserting visual reference from technological artifacts like the glitch. She aggressively explores beyond the expected presentation of painting, pushing the uneasy mix of the natural and the digital even further. Her work often breaks out of the traditional canvas, exploring unique objects to introduce abstract painting. She incorporates shaped canvases that come together to produce a kind of deconstructed canvas for her to explore. She also integrates printing methods to ground her painting, like screen prints and giclée prints. Genevieve Chua received her education at the Royal College of Art in London. Her solo exhibitions have spanned Asia, with group exhibitions around the world. 10. Jamie Tan (b. 1990) IntoxicatedCalls (2018) [SOURCE] Jamie Tan takes color field into the next century with a unique take on the genre that is informed as much by the structure of computer displays as the career of Rothko. Rather than taking off into highly conceptual detours, his work keeps returning to color. The paintings use a sophisticated understanding of that single tool and continue to reimagine how to present it. The clean lines and interlaced patterns of color strips that define Jamie Tan’s work produce energy and movement through their interaction. But these pieces are not just practices in color theory. They also serve as a link in the discussion begun by color field painters from the century past with the current visual landscape of contemporary society. Jamie Tan earned a degree in Fine Arts from Lasalle College of the Arts in 2017. His first solo show debuted in 2019 Inspired by the artists? Shop abstract art on RtistiQ Art Marketplace. Enjoy 7 Day Delivery & 14 Day Return policy for all users today. Author: Jonathan M Clark

RtistiQ

13 Apr 2021

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Technological development in the last few decades has surpassed our expectations. AI (Artificial Intelligence) has always been a common fantasy for a long time, however just 20 years ago, we could not have imagined smartphones! We don’t even notice some technology anymore while smart watches, streaming platforms, driverless cars, online banking etc. have become a reality. Add to this a mix of Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR) and Mixed Reality (MR), today’s world is unrecognizable from the pre-2000s era. Ecommerce is an apposite representation of rapidly changing technology over the past 4 decades, although the reason for popularity remains the same. When Michael Aldrich invented ecommerce (called ‘teleshopping’ then) in 1979, his motivation was to find an alternative to the boring weekly task of grocery shopping. Today, when we use AR to try furniture from IKEA in our living rooms, it is the same principle – avoid a tedious trip to the store. Although many people use AR, VR interchangeably, yet these terms are significantly different from each other. Virtual Reality, in simple terms, is interacting with a fabricated environment in a digital mode, through a special electronic device like special goggles, gloves etc. VR is a simulated experience which can be completely different from the real world. For example, when you play a video game through VR, you use a headset and it may seem to you that you are interacting with the gaming world, although you would be moving around in the physical space in the real world. Your digital avatar would mimic your real moves of walking, turning around, jumping, running, punching, kicking etc. Thus, VR gives you an enhanced gaming experience and it seems like the virtual world becomes your reality for a certain time. Augmented Reality, on the other hand, is a digital experience of the real world enhanced by computer-generated media. So, AR is integration of digital media with real world to provide the user an interactive and enhanced experience. For example, when you buy artwork at RtistiQ, you would be able to use our app to virtually place the art in your house and see how it would for into your home. Ikea also provides a similar experience to its users where they can see how a piece of furniture would look in an area in their homes before they make a decision to buy it. The game Pokemon Go is one of the poplar examples of AR, which gave such a different experience to the user that around 550 million people download it within three months of its launch. Mixed Reality, as you can guess, is a combination of VR and AR. In MR, real-world and digital world objects interact in real time to provide you a superior experience. MR basically overlays images or videos onto a screen showing reality, through a headset or smart glasses. MR has great potential in the areas of education, medicine etc. For example, students in a medical college can experience a surgery with the use of MR to get an almost first-hand like experience. In this digital era, where you are not only comfortable shopping online, but also prefer it to going out for a traditional shopping experience especially since covid-19 struck our lives, the retail industry has been quick to adopt modern technologies to attract potential customers. Augmented Reality is one technology that has significantly impacted our online shopping experience and it is only beginning to gain momentum. Retailers are using AR not only to change the way customers shop by creating a more engaged experience, but also to drive sales and maximize their Return on Investment (RoI). As a customer, Augmented Reality is helpful to you by creating a delightful experience when you shop, and helping you make decisions effectively and quickly. There are many examples where the retail industry uses AR. Home Depot and IKEA use AR to show a customer how a piece of furniture would fit in their space not only look wise but also space wise. So you don’t have to worry about taking measurements when you go furniture shopping, simply click a picture of your space and let AR provide you recommendations forfurniture that would fit into that space. Similarly, Sephora provides a customer the option to see themselves with selected beauty products applied to their faces, hence making it so much easier for customers to choose their products. Amazon and L’Oreal teamed up to provide a similar experience, which is currently limited to only lipsticks. However, we can be sure that Amazon has entered the race for providing ‘customer delight’ to its shoppers, hence soon we will be able to try many more things before buying on Amazon. Nike has been providing a superior shopping experience to their customers by allowing them to virtually try shoes that would fit their size. These apps use AR to measure the feet size of customers so they can buy the right products and hence, reduce the need for returns. Show brand Airwalk went a step further using geolocation and AR to create “pop-up” shops where you can try and shop for shoes. When they adopted this technology, it led to $5 million in earned media in 2018! Apparel brands like Gap and Burberry have also embraced AR for providing virtual “fitting rooms” so the customers can try an outfit before buying it. In the Covid-19 era when people are either unable to or unwilling to go out, art galleries and museums also started using AR to provide virtual tours for their patrons. You can not only visit these art galleries using AR and see their artwork on display, you can also see the art from up close, from different angles, and do multiple visits, from the comfort of your own home. RtistiQ provides you a similar experience where you can interact with the artwork that you intend to buy. Then, you can see how these would look in your home before making a final decision. As a customer, AR is very useful to you and has perhaps completely disrupted the way you are used to shopping, but in quite a brilliant way! Author: Manisha Bhati

RtistiQ

29 Mar 2021

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Most expensive Western artwork ever sold in Asia Jean-Michel Basquiat's Warrior (1982) is making the headlines these days after becoming the most expensive Western work of art to be sold at auction in Asia. Offered during a single-lot auction at Christie's in Hong Kong, the painting has sold for $41.7m (fees included), according to The Art Newspaper. The American collector selling it, bought the painting in 2012 at Sotheby's London for £5.5m (fees included). A great investment one might argue. This comes as no surprise since Basquiat is no stranger to the art market records, according to Art Basel’s Art Market Report, he is in the top 5 highest selling artists at auction in 2020. Warrior (1982) Basquiat's Warrior, depicted full-length and brandishing a sword, is considered semi-autobiographical and dates to the artist's most innovative and desirable period. It has been exhibited at Akira Ikeda Gallery, Tokyo, in 1983, and was included in the 2019 exhibition Jean-Michel Basquiat at the Brant Foundation Art Study Center in New York City. As well, it had appeared at auction twice before being acquired be the current seller: selling at Sotheby's in 2005 and 2007 for $1.8m and $5.6m respectively. Who was Basquiat? Jean-Michel Basquiat was born in 1960s New York, to Haitian and Puerto Rican parents. Having a troubled childhood Basquiat spent most of his time exploring the city, first established his name through graffiti art under the tag SAMO©. Getting involved with drugs and living on the streets, he became highly involved in the party scene and regularly attended punk-art spaces as a DJ. Nevertheless, Basquiat was not the juvenile delinquent stereotype. With a passion for jazz and poetry, Basquiat became involved in the cultural Renaissance that was burgeoning in New York in the 1980’s. He soon began painting and drawing, incorporating graffiti art and poetry on his canvases. This quickly sparked his fame, with his first exhibition in 1982 being completely sold out and his fame skyrocketed when he made friends with Keith Haring and Andy Warhol and started dating Madonna. Despite having a very short life and career, he died of a drug overdose at the age of 27 (in 1988), his legacy lives on through prolific body of work. Basquiat’s legacy Basquiat absorbed an incredibly wide range of influences, which he fused together to create a new visual language blending painting, punk, graffiti, primitivism and poetry. Having never studied it, Basquiat said he learnt about art “by looking at it”. His art seems outside art chronology, he is like one of the Beat Poets of Painting. Nevertheless, the critics has found a spot for him into the narrative of art history and is often described as a Neo-Expressionist painter. Basquiat’s work is hugely influential and remains especially relevant today given the social and political climates across the world. He explores his mixed African, Latin, and American heritage through a visual vocabulary of personally resonant signs, symbols, and figures. Much of his works are commentaries on racial and social inequalities. Basquiat remains the King of the 80s’ New York culture. Image Courtesy: Warrior (1982) by Jean-Michel Basquiat Courtesy of Christie's While not everyone can own the most famous abstract paintings of the century, we definitely have the best abstract artworks from the finest contemporary artists just for you.

FLOAREA BAENZIGER

26 Mar 2021

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Pablo Picasso is believed to have said that good artists borrow and great artists steal. Some artists maybe have taken these words a little too seriously. We’ve collected five famous painters that were the center of major forgery scandals. 1. Michelangelo Michelangelo’s Pieta (1499) — not the work he faked Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons This is not the story of a forger mocking the great Michelangelo, but the great Michelangelo mocking someone else. In the late 15th century, Michelangelo was a young artist looking to make his way in the world. He studied under Lorenzo de Medici, who quickly discovered that this young man had incredible talent. Unfortunately, art buyers at the time were obsessed with artwork from the classical world, and that gave Michelangelo an idea. He created a sculpture and artificially aged it. His work was so successful he sold it to an Italian Cardinal. The Cardinal eventually realized what happened, but instead of ruining Michelangelo’s name and career, his ability to copy the classical world solidified his reputation as a great new artist. 2. Johannes Vermeer Han van Meegeren’s The Men at Emmaus (1937) — sold as a Vermeer painting Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons Vermeer is one of the true masters of painting. His work continues to stun people based on its tenderness and craft, which made the revelation that many of his pieces were by a master forger explosive. Han van Meegeren was a Dutch painter who, in the first half of the 20th century, became one of the greatest art forgers of all time. It began with him wanting to become a legitimate artist, but he struggled to make a name for himself. So he studied Vermeer’s paintings until he was able to make work that resembled the master. Van Meegeren obsessively learned how to parrot Vermeer’s style and quick-age the materials. Many experts thought there were likely many Vermeer paintings that had yet to be discovered, so van Meegeren created original work that he claimed were lost Vermeers. He sold today’s equivalent of $60 million worth of art to collectors under the master’s name. Some of these sales were even to Vermeer specialists. He was caught after World War II, when Dutch authorities arrested him under charges of treason for selling a Vermeer painting to the Nazi Hermann Göring. To prove what he sold was a forgery, he painted in the Vermeer style in front of police. 3. Leonardo da Vinci Leonardo da Vinci’s (attributed) La Bella Principessa — a possible fake Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons In 2008, Peter Silverman came forward with a major announcement. A new work by Leonardo da Vinci had been discovered. The work, so the story went, was discovered in a friend’s drawer in Paris (actually Silerman purchased it at auction). La Bella Principessa has many art historians and experts claiming it is a fake, while still others claim it is the real thing. 4. Frida Kahlo Guillermo Kahlo’s Portrait of Frida Kahlo (1932) Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons While most forgery scandals focus on one painting or a handful, this scandal rocked an entire collection. The Noyolas gathered an enormous collection of Frida Kahlo artwork, and they were set to publish a book in 2009 detailing the paintings, personal effects, and correspondence of the famous artist. The book sparked outrage, with many in the art world coming out to claim that the collection was a fraud. While the Noyolas contend that the claims of forgeries are bunk, the problems in the provenance and outright discrepancies keep mounting. Many claim that all 1200 items are fraudulent. Unfortunately, there hasn’t been a thorough analysis that has satisfied both sides of the debate, and so it continues. If most or all of the collection proves definitively to be a forgery, it will stand as one of the biggest ever. 5. Henri Matisse Photo of John Myatt, one of the most prolific art forgers in history Courtesy of Web Art Academy John Myatt was a recently divorced artist in the 1980’s looking for a little extra dough. He put out an ad in Private Eye magazine offering to sell fakes, and soon his work fell into the hands of one John Drewe. Drewe was able to resell Myatt’s work, including forgeries of Henri Mattisse, to the likes of Sotheby’s and Christie’s. By the time Scotland Yard caught up with Myatt in 1995, the duo had sold around 200 fakes. Author: Jonathan M Clark

RtistiQ

20 Mar 2021

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One question that has haunted an artist since time immemorial is that “How can I protect the integrity and credibility of my artwork so that it’s value keeps on appreciating?” Be it Da Vinci or Donatello or Raja Ravi Varma, all of them would have gone through these thoughts in various phases of their lives. As the human brain evolved, everything evolved and developed along with it. Over a period of time different art styles evolved all over the world and along with it evolved the ways and hacks to steal and infringe or forge those art styles. Even when the law and enforcement bodies came out with laws and other tactics to reduce the art thieves’ ability to take advantage of the artists, the con artists also evolved their different ingenious ways to work around the system. Art Thefts and Forgeries are the dark side of the beautiful world of aesthetics that a common person sees. What a layman relishes in galleries and museums or online platforms is just the tip of the iceberg, if one goes deep into the world of art one will see the other side of it as well. Art thefts and forgeries are run by parallel underground black markets where the dealers who are in a number of occasions themselves are art connoisseurs and curators. It is a highly sophisticated and well-run business. So much so that most of the government law enforcement agencies all around the world have their respective white-collar crimes divisions which run their investigations on a large scale. If one would like to have an experience of how this whole world runs one should definitely watch a series called White Collar, in which a white-collar crimes officer of the FBI teams up with a con artist to nab the bad guys. We have earliest records of art theft and forgeries as early as the Medieval Period or what the Europeans call the Middle Ages. It is very difficult to say the exact year and place where the first theft or infringement took place but it is in literature of these periods from around the world that points at these unfortunate acts. Back in the early days, artists who were very well versed in their crafts used to take certain measures to protect the integrity of their works. Like it is common knowledge that most of the painters used to mark their paintings with what you can call a mark of originality or a painter’s coded symbol of sorts through which the most exquisite buyers found out whether this is an original work or a forgery. There are also references of well-known artists auctioning their works in known, trustworthy circles to make sure that they control the movements of their master pieces. There are some really innovative methods which were used in the earlier times but we only got to know about them with the development of technology. Like, a lot of sculptors in Europe used to hide a coded message in the form of paper scrolls inside their sculptures, the buyers were the only told where inside the sculpture is the scroll hidden and they would check it by knocking that area which was hollow so it made a different kind of sound. It is through the X-Ray that the museums today found out that these sculptures had a scroll hidden in them. All this validates the fact that the artists in the earlier years were aware and weary of art thieves and tried to use a lot of techniques to tackle them. Now let us fast forward to the 21st century. The art world has grown and evolved a lot in all the aspects like artists coming up with new techniques and innovations, new laws and checks have come up with regard to the originality and exchange and ownership of art and along with this as a part and parcel the black market has also evolved and adapted to the changes. In this world of digitization and e-commerce there have been a lot of advantages to the artists who adapted to the tech savvy world. But along with the goods, evils are not far behind, as even the black market adapted to the tech savvy millennial way of life. In this age of digitization, the artists have been able to make their websites and use various online platforms to reach out to the whole world. Now a customer sitting in the US can buy an art work of an Indian who works from a small village in Srikalahasti. But however, along with these advantages, there are also the drawbacks of art thieves and forgers having access to the works of these artists. To tackle these new world problems, the various e commerce platforms and governing bodies have come up with some new age solutions. The most common thing that all the artists these days do is patenting and copywriting their works. This is the least one can do. But along with this, there are some other hacks that the online platforms and artists do like posting either a cropped or a low resolution image of their work online. This way even if an illegal art dealer does get his/her hands on the photo, he/she will not be able to expand it and get a good resolution image to forge or infringe. Along with this, it is usually recommended by the cyber-crimes units all over the world to watermark the photo of the artwork especially through the tiling method. This way even if someone tries to infringe the work and remove the watermark that person can be apprehended by the authorities. Along with all these systems in place to protect artworks, the online e commerce platforms like RtistiQ have used latest technologies to add an additional layer of security for their artworks. They use hacks like NFC Tags, Blockchain and Artificial Intelligence to maintain a digital footprint of their work along with its provenance that an artist can get notified every time his or her artwork is bought and who bought it. This also helps in avoiding the middlemen who are basically the reason why these thefts happen. It is a reality of the art world that along with all the glamour it also has the darker side attached to it and that is every artist’s biggest nightmare. But as time is evolving new innovations are being made to tackle these issues. One can only hope that the situation gets better. Author: Kush Dhebar

RtistiQ

15 Mar 2021

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Art forgery is a major concern for art collectors of all kinds. When you shell out big money for an original, you want to know it’s the real thing. Nothing is more shattering for an art museum than finding out one of the paintings they’ve displayed has been a fake. Private collectors have their own concerns, too. A discovered forgery can represent a massive loss in assets. Some forgers are so good at what they do that their work can’t be distinguished from the real thing — at least not at first. Even experts, people who are trained to spot real from fake, can be tricked, sometimes for years. That makes forgery even scarier: how do you protect against it? The more you start looking into this shady world of art fakes, it gets you thinking. How many pieces up in art museums right now are forgeries? The truth is, we’ll never know the actual numbers or extent anytime soon. The rough estimate making rounds is that almost 40% of all art from master artists are either fakes or wrongly attributed. What we do know, is that with all the money to be made, people will continue to create art forgeries. Below, we’ve assembled a few of the biggest art forgery scandals from the last decade. Uzbek State Art Museum (2014) This story is the epitome of the inside job. The Uzbek State Art Museum was the target of a sophisticated ring of art forgers. They just happened to be the employees. Over a fifteen year period, three employees — chief Curator Mifayz Usmanov and two art restorers — systematically stole works from the museum and replaced them with forgeries. They resold the originals for incredibly low prices, somewhere in the range of €80 to 650, the equivalent of $100 to 810. The hard economic realities of Uzbekistan and the low pay of the staff created the backdrop for this last ditch effort to make some money. The work they sold included pieces by Lorenzo di Credi, Victor Ufimtsev, and dozens of other European artists. For their crimes, Usmanov received nine years in prison, while his two accomplices were sentenced to eight years each. Lino Frongia (2019) When we think of great art, we usually begin with the old masters. So did Lino Frongia, a relatively obscure Italian painter who spent the last few decades forging the greats and selling the work for millions of Euros. But Frongia had help from French art dealer Giuliano Ruffini, who claims innocence, stating that everything he sold was verified by experts. The forgeries landed in the Louvre, the Metropolitan Museum, and London’s National Gallery and even tricked some of the great art collectors of our time. Frongia is accused of forging works by Frans Hals, Correggio, Lucas Cranach, among others. But it all came collapsing down when the Orion Analytical laboratory in Williamstown Massachusetts claimed to have found modern pigments in a work supposedly painted by Parmigianino. Since then, more and more paintings have been discovered that implicate Frongia. At RtistiQ, we leverage the latest technology like Digital Imagery, Blockchain and NFC to build a digital DNA of each artwork, connecting it to the original creator. This ensures a safe and trusted online art gallery for both art lovers and creators to transact. Knoedler & Company (2011) An Upper East side modern art gallery, an elite clientele, a collection too good to be true. It all came crashing down in 2011. Knoedler & Company was a mainstay of the New York art scene, opening its doors in 1846. And then, with little notice and in the middle of an art show, they closed their doors. The reason? It had come to light that in their last 15 years of business, they sold more than 40 forged paintings. The forgeries included works by Robert Motherwell, Jackson Pollock, and Mark Rothko — sales of the forgeries totalled over $60 million. It all started when Knoedler & Company’s president began working with Glafira Rosales who claimed to be in contact with a certain “Mr. X” and his son. They had a tremendous amount of modern art marvels without provenance, the story went, and they wanted to sell these off. In truth, the paintings were created by Rosales’ boyfriend José Carlos Bergantiños Díaz and his brother Jesús, and master art forger Pei-Shen Qian. The story has been immortalized in the film Driven to Distraction. Conclusion Collecting is similar to love at first sight – you get a tingling sensation when you chance upon an artwork that you can connect with. You feel the desire to learn more about the artist and ultimately own the artwork. While it is becoming increasingly popular to buy art online in this decade, Art forgeries are on the rise as well. The good news is it can be tackled with proper technology in place like what RtistiQ Art Marketplace has achieved. If you are looking to buy paintings online, browse our wide array of artworks from all over the world today. Author: Jonathan M Clark

RtistiQ

08 Mar 2021

5 min to read

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Indonesia demonstrates a pluralistic art culture where not only traditional and modern art forms are pursued in harmony, but also the evolution of art forms can be witnessed through varied influences of foreign cultures and religions. Evidence of spiritual art can be traced back to even 1500 B.C. in Indonesia through stone and wooden artifacts, which represented spiritual expression with aesthetics. These elements when combined with Hinduism effectuated Indonesian court art in 7th century. The rise of westernized art came later when the country became a Dutch colony in the 17th century. When the artists started traveling to European countries to study artduring 18th and 19th centuries, some of the modern forms of arts developed. Although the impact of religion and spiritualism still reflects in contemporary paintings, yet most of these artworks are a symbol of individual responses to social issues. This post outlines some of the prevalent forms of painting in Indonesia over the past two centuries, the most popular artists of that period, and discernment into the contemporary art scene with present-day artists. Romanticism – This art form was first used in Germany in 1700s, and is characterized by an emphasis on personal, subjective, imaginative, irrational spontaneous and transcendental. In simple words, a deepened sense of emotions and senses. One of the most famous artists who created paintings with Romanticism theme was Raden Saleh. He studied in Netherlands and traveled across Europe to enhance his skills. The following isa famous painting by Raden Saleh, called ‘Lion Hunt’ (source: commons.wikimedia.org) Expressionism – This is an art form where the artist focuses on expressing emotions subjectively through exaggeration, distortion, fantasy etc. The aim of the artist in painting here is to be expressive, not beautiful. Many modern artists use this spontaneous technique to depict their minds rather than the outside world. Affandi is a well-known name in Indonesian art scene who made use of Expressionism to create more than 2000 pieces of art, which are displayed in a museum at Yogyakarta. Although Affandi started painting as a realism artist, he later moved to expressionism since, in his own words, ‘ Afandi used an exceptional technique to paint by directly squeezing the paint from the tube to canvas. It is interesting to note that he discovered this technique by accident. The anecdote behind it goes like this. Once Affandi broke his brush and to continue to paint, he squeezed the paint directly from the tube to the canvas and then, used his hands as tools. He later started using this technique as his signature style as he believed it gave more dimension to his work. One of his paintings, created in 1950, called ‘The Artist and His Daughter’, shows a beautiful blend of realism and expressionism during the years when he was discovering his signature style. (source: www.affandi.org) Another painting by Affandi painted in 1967, called ‘Wisdom of the East’, shows the hand of God reaching across the ocean to the West,while holding wisemen of East – Gandhi, Lo The, and Semar. (source: www.affandi.org) Another prominent artist, who is generally rated amongst the five maestros of Indonesian modern art was Hendra Gunawan. His painting style was a combination of western techniques and Indonesian aesthetics. He was not only a painter, but also a guirella fighter during Dutch colonial rule. He later became an activist against the ruling government and was incarcerated from 1965-1978. He continued painting in prison, on small scraps of canvas he had available. Hendra’s paintings have a unique vibrancy to them, despite his life situation and his poverty. The paintings usually show workers in their day-to-day activities, and the background of the paintings seems to be in motion. His painting ‘Catching a Butterfly’ (source: https://www.cobosocial.com/dossiers/hendra-gunawan-revelations) shows a young girl in her innocence and purity, thus evoking emotional connection with admirers. Most of his paintings have this affect on viewers. Mooi Indie (“Beautiful Indies”) – This art style was developed in Indonesia during the Dutch regime in the 19th century. It was mainly a way for the Dutch government to increase the tourism appeal for Dutch East Indies. The colonial government at the time wanted to showcase a romanticized view of Indonesia and most artists were not allowed to express the reality, many artists believe that this style represents a slave mentality ofcolonial era. In fact, one of the most important visual artists before independence, Sindu Sudjojono (1913-1986) coined the term ‘Mooi Indie’ and rejected this movement as “an idealised view of the colonial period and not a true representation of Indonesian society”. Nevertheless, numerous magnificent paintings were produced which showed beautiful, serene, heavenly, and peaceful scenes like mountains, rivers, valleys, villages in Indonesia. Today, the artworks produced in this genre are amongst the most expensive in auctions. Abdullah Suriosubroto was a famous artist who painted Landscape art or Mooi Indie paintings. Notably, he had enrolled in a medical school in what is now Jakarta. But when he went to Netherlands, his interest shifted to fine arts, and thus was born a legendary name in Indonesia art history. The following painting of Priangan landscape by Abdullah Suriosubroto captures the exquisite beauty of landscape and immense talent of the artist (source: commons.wikimedia.org) Realism – This style of art, as the name indicates, depicts ‘real’ objects and scenes. Realism or naturalism, as it is often called, provides an accurate description of the anatomy of humans and animals, details of color and light, and resembles the real world closely. You could understand realism as photograph-like portrayal of objects, characters and scenes. However, it does not imply that the artist painting realism artwork did not paint imaginary characters like angels, demons, flying horses, or ghosts. The imaginary and intriguing stuff often finds its way into realism althoughthe proportions and details of the objects and characters are accurate like in real world. For example, the artist may paint an angel, however, the body will be human like and the wings would be proportionate to the body. A ghost, similarly, would not be blown out of proportion and there would be detailed light effects to indicate that it is a dead person. Some artists and scholars refer to this type of realism as ‘Illusionistic Realism’. Realism as an art form began as a reaction to romanticism, hence, principally they are opposites. There were two notable artists in this genre in Indonesia - Basuki Abdullah (Abdullah Suriosubroto’s son) and S. Sudjojono. Basuki Abdullah was a maestro artist and painted focusing on culture and tradition. He painted people, flora and fauna, themes of strugglesetc. He was known as a portrait painter, though he used to enhance the beauty of his subjects. An example of his work is – Fight between Ravana and Jatayu (source: art-indonesian-art.blogspot) This painting depicts a scene from the Hindu Epic Ramayana where Ravana is kidnapping Sita, wife of Lord Rama, and a bird called Jatayu istrying to save her from him. S. Sudjojono, on the other hand, was an activist. He wanted to depict social issues through his art and was the pioneer of socialist realism in Indonesia. His expressed his political views through his paintings and wanted them to provide historical and educational value. His painting ‘Comrade of Revolution’ is amongst his most famous artworks (source: archive.ivaa-online.org) Balinese Art – This form of art was introduced into Indonesia in the 14th century through the Majapahit’s conquest of Bali. The initial works of art in this style were usually wood carvings and stone carvings. Balinese art was originally carved, painted or woven into objects of daily use. But later, it expanded, and several beautifully refined and intricate paintings were created, which resemble baroque folk art. These paintings often have the theme of battles between good and bad forces, the narratives originating from Hindu-Javanese epics, Javanese folktales and Buddhist texts. Most of these paintings were created as a collaborative work and hence, the artists are anonymous. This painting is called ‘Wayan Kayun-Barong dance’. (source: tarigallery.wordpress) In current day, countless of galleries in Bali showcase phenomenal artwork from the famous modern artists as well as from the continually growing local art community. Some Indonesian paintings are displayed in museums and temples across the world. The oldest painting from the 15th century is a lotus painting with Ganesha’s figure and is now preserved at Pura Besakih. Author: Manisha Bhati

RtistiQ

26 Feb 2021

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Numerous theoretical ideas deal with abstract art. While some have taken the idea of “art for art’s sake,” others have implied that art should be like music; just as music is patterns of sound, art should be created by pure patterns of form, color, and line; there are those who see abstract art as carrying a moral dimension, abstract art can be seen to stand for virtues such as purity and spirituality; and finally, those using the term “abstract” formally, as a distinction from figuration in art (as in non-figurative). How Abstract Art impacts our mental process Abstract art seems to elicit different mental processes than figurative art. While representational art requires a more local and object-focused scan pattern, abstract art involves more globally distributed viewing patterns. Our brain adopts a more exploratory strategy for seeking visual clues while staring at abstract art. Hence more complex areas of our brain seem to be stimulated by abstract art. Appreciating abstract art To claim to understand abstract art is like pretending to understand the Universe; its complexity is beyond us. When it comes to abstract art, a more appropriate approach would be to learn to appreciate it. We can do this with an open mind and heart by looking for clues in the feelings and ideas it arises in us – the emotional approach. Nevertheless, art in general and abstract art in particular should and must be interpreted in its historical context. Despite claiming to be a universal form of art, the ideas behind abstract art were very much generated by a cumulus of factors converging at certain point in time – rational approach. First Experiments towards abstraction The big revolution in art and the journey towards Abstraction began with the Modernist artistic movements. The pioneering artists of the 19th century (Claude Monet, Paul Cézanne and George Surat among others) had a burning desire to innovate, not only because the Academic Art was not representative for an industrial society but they felt the menace of a new invention called daguerreotype. The growing popularity of the first photo camera was threatening the artists´ role of depicting reality, this is when the modern artists started to reject traditional three-dimensional space and instead used flat areas or patches of colour to create a new pictorial space. The Avant-garde - shapes and colours The following generation of Avant-garde artists proved to be even more radical and searched for inspiration far away from Europe, in the ancestral cultures of the African tribes. The Fauvists (like Henry Matisse or André Derrain) were interested in the scientific colour theories and in the use of complimentary colours for creating tension on the canvas. For many of the artists who adopted a fauvist approach it became a transitional stepping stone for future developments in their style, towards abstraction. The Cubists (George Braque, Pablo Picasso or Juan Griss) proposed a new way of depicting an object: multiple viewing angles layered on the canvas. The fragmentation and reassembling of the world proposed by the Parisian cubists had encouraged several other artists, especially from countries such as Holland and Russia, to push farther into a world of forms, leaving behind any reference to recognizable objects or scenes. The invention of these new kinds of abstract or "non-objective" art coincided with the cataclysm of World War I, and the artists involved explained their innovations in terms of contemporary revolutions in both society and consciousness or as the emergence of a changed human order. Inventing abstraction - Wassily Kandinsky “Colour is the keyboard, the eyes are the harmonies, the soul is the piano with many strings. The artist is the hand that plays, touching one key or another, to cause vibrations in the soul.” - Wassily Kandinsky Until the end of the 19th century, the value of a painting was judged by its ability to represent reality. For this reason, music was often regarded by artists as a pure form of art. One of these artists was the Russian born Wassily Kandinsky. The future inventor of Abstraction was born on December 4, 1866 in Moscow and had a formal training in law, economics and ethnography. However, by the age of 30 he had abandoned a career in law; he had fled his native country for Munich, in order to pursue his passion for art. While still living in Russia, Kandinsky found an important connection between colour and music. He is believed to have had synaesthesia, a condition that makes people perceive colour not only as a visual property of objects, but to associate colours with sounds of different qualities and intensities. He was convinced that painting, alike music, must fulfil a spiritual role. Although Kandinsky had developed the philosophical foundation for an abstract art as early as 1909, he had been hesitant to abandon representation. After hearing Arnold Schoenberg’s concert in January 1911, his work took a completely new turn. In the following days he made quick sketches of that performance and he further diluted these drawings until only traces of the original subject remained in his paintings. Composition V – first abstract painting? In the summer of the same year, Kandisnky began working on Composition V, a monumental painting in size, the most radical painting displayed at that time, announcing his ambitions for abstraction. Just a few months later, after being rejected by the official salon, he included the picture in the first exhibition of Der Blaue Reiter (the Blue Rider), a group co-founded together with Franz Marc (killed during the WWI at 36 years of age). Simultaneously, he published Concerning the Spiritual in Art, one of the first thesis to argue for artistic abstraction. His essay examines the purpose of art and how colours and forms impact the human soul. Since abstract art is freed from representation, colours and forms can display their own spirit and express the feelings of the artists. In his book, Kandinsky declares that the most advanced art offers “emotions that we cannot put into words”. The events of 1911 were equivalent to opening Pandora’s box in art. The invention of a non-objective form of art defined in manifestos as a reflection of the deep transformation in the society, anticipated the devastation of the WWI (1914-1918) but at the same time opened unknown paths for artistic explorations. 1. The Red Tree, 1908-1910, source: Gemeentemuseum den Haag 2. The Grey Tree, 1911, source: Gemeentemuseum den Haag 3. Flowering Apple Tree 1912, source: Tate Modern Piet Mondrian Other artists followed in Kandinsky’s steps on the path of abstraction but no other artist’s body of work can better illustrate the transformation from figurative depiction to abstraction as the Dutch painter Piet Mondrian. Mondrian’s fascination with trees developed out of his earlier landscape painting. After absorbing the influences of Cubism, Mondrian reworked the image of his trees to abstraction, and later on to primary colours. The trunk and branches were transforming into a network of verticals and horizontals. He acknowledged the inspiration of nature but added, “I want to come as close as possible to the truth, and I abstract everything from that until I reach the foundation of things”. No. 5, 1948, Jackson Pollock, sold in 2006 in a private sale for $135 million, according to The New York Times Abstract Expressionism - Abstraction in America “It seems to me that the modern painter cannot express this age, the airplane, the atom bomb, the radio, in the old forms of the Renaissance or of any other past culture. Each age finds its own technique.” Jackson Pollock - interview with William Wright, 1950 Prior to WWII, the art world has been dominated for centuries by Europe but the new geo-political reality was about to reshape dramatically the global art scene. The arrival in the United States of various immigrants associated with the Surrealist movement (André Breton, Max Ernst or Marcel Duchamp) fleeing the war was extremely well timed. The European Surrealist proved to be a great influence on the young artists active in New York at that time. The expanding group of artists including figures such as Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko, Arshile Gorky, Willem de Kooning, Barnett Newman, Robert Motherwell, Clyfford Still and Adolph Gottlieb was soon labelled as “Abstract Expressionists” despite never being formally organized in an art movement. They were, however, unified to some extent by the patronage of a wealthy heiress, Peggy Guggenheim. She is the first to organize exhibitions for the young artists at her newly open gallery, Art of This Century. No other name could better describe the gallery where Abstract Expressionism would catch the interest equally of art critics and politicians. Jackson Pollock – the star of Abstract Art One of Jackson Pollock’s early works (Guardians of the secret, 1943) demonstrates how stylistic borrowings from the Cubist-derived abstraction, Expressionism and Surrealism were fused with the interest in myth and primitivism and powered by the idea of large scale painting (a symbol of the rebirth of Americana, intensely promoted through the Federal Art Project – part of Roosevelt’s New Deal). Pollock’s experiments didn’t stop at mixing various art influences but he took a very daring approach. His most accomplished works were produced in a dramatically different fashion, he rhythmically dripped and spattered industrial paints, by using a stick instead of a brush, all-over huge expanses of unstretched canvases placed on his studio floor – what became known as “drip painting”. His innovation lies in bringing the process of creation under the spotlights, his Action Painting was almost a mystic parade of gestures. Pollock is hailed by his main promoter, the art critic Clement Greenberg as the inheritor of the European abstract tradition. By the 1949, Pollock acquired appreciable market success so that Life magazine was asking rhetorically in a now famous editorial: “Is he the greatest living painter in the United States?”. The wealthy art-buying class that were Pollock’s enthusiasts incorporated the liberal intellectuals and politicians that were becoming increasingly interested in stepping-up the cold war against Communism. Abstract Expressionism and the Cold War The American administration began a cultural war against the Social-Realism (an art movement associated with the communist regimes) by exporting internationally Abstract Expressionism as a symbol of the western capitalism. Just as the Marshall Plan sought to extend America’s influence in Europe through much needed it economic aid, the touring exhibition organized by MoMA with the support of CIA, sought to gain influence over the hearts of minds of Europe. New York School of Art By the early 1950s, the idea of an art movement called Abstract Expressionism seem more of critics´ invention than a homogenous art movement. Under the umbrella New York School you had on one hand the painters whose work was based on a gestural approach (Gestural Abstraction): De Kooning, Jackson Pollock and Robert Motherwell, on the other hand, artists like Clayford Still, Mark Rothko and Barnett Newman who relied on large fields of colour (Colour Field Painting) to produce solemn effects on their canvases. These artists had an interest in archetype and anima and studied Kandisnky´s theories. Despite their sometimes bombastic spiritual claims and being often criticized for being egocentrics, we should not forget that Newman and Rothko were a response to the history of their times. Human dignity and spiritual aspirations have been completely crushed during the WWII and their art was a way of healing the trauma of this great tragedy of human kind. As Paul Klee remarked in 1915: “The more fearful the world becomes, the more art becomes abstract”. The Legacy Because of the huge influence of Abstract Expressionism in post-war America, other artists and movements are generally understood in relation to it. Ad Reinhardt in the early 1950s and then Frank Stella later in the decade painted abstract canvases, but rejected the Abstract Expressionist based on gesture They instead reinforced the essence of the painting as a physical object through precise geometric forms and smooth application of paint, anticipating the Minimalism art. Since the Abstract Expressionism painting was fundamentally “performative” it is regarded as the starting point for the Happenings (Allan Kaprow) of the 1960. Few decades later Abstract Art fell into semi-obscurity for a while only to be resuscitated and to coexist along a wide variety of art forms and ideas, so typical of our post-modern reality. “Abstraction allows man to see with his mind what he cannot see physically with his eyes… Abstract art enables to perceive beyond the tangible, to extract the infinite out of the finite. It is the emancipation of the mind. It is an exploration into unknown areas.” – Arshile Gorky Author: Floarea Baenziger Refrences: Books: 1. David Hopkins, After Modern Art 1945-2000, Oxford University Press, 2000, pp. 5-33; 2. Robert Hughes, The Shock of the New: Art and the Century of Change, Thames & Hudson Ltd, 2004; 3. Kirk Varnedoe, Pictures of Nothing: Abstract Art since Pollock, Princeton University Press, 2006; 4. Leah Dickerman, Inventing abstraction – How a radical idea changed modern art, 1910-1925, catalogue MoMA, New York, 2013; Articles: 1. Helen A. Harrison, Through a Glass Brightly: Jackson Pollock in His Own Words, The New York Times, Nov. 15, 1998; 2. Pepe Karmel, The Golden Age of Abstraction: Right Now, ARTnews, April 24, 2013; 3. Meyer Schapiro, Nature of Abstract Art, www.on-curating.org, October 2003; 4. Celia Durkin, Eileen Hartnett, Daphna Shohamy, An objective evaluation on the beholder’s response to abstract and figurative art based on construal level theory, PNAS, August 2020. Author: Floarea Bänziger, RtistiQ curator RtistiQ is a leading online art marketplace that features a wide curated selection of Abstract art created by emerging and established artists from all over the world. All artworks are original and blockchain powered so you can shop abstract art with an ease of mind. Discover all abstract artworks here.

FLOAREA BAENZIGER

19 Feb 2021

5 min to read

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