Black History and Black Art

It’s February and once again it’s Black History Month.  In my community that means the entertainment pages of our local newspaper are filled with an abundance of programs related to African-Americans.   This month is proclaimed each year as a month to celebrate and commemorate the contributions of African Americans to our nation.  It’s a great month to celebrate history, and I am not surprised that the arts are at the top of the list of events and programs offered during this month.

I began to wonder about how Black History Month originated.  I discovered that the occasion began in 1926.  A historian suggested that the second week in February would be designated as the week to commemorate the accomplishments of African Americans.  This week happened to be the birth dates of Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln.  Interests grew and in 1976 it expanded into National African-American History Month.

Many museums and libraries are offering special exhibits and programs relating to African American artists.  There are opportunities to view the works of prominent local African-American artists.  This is a great month to celebrate history and art.

Art as An Investment

I recently read that the major auction houses are claiming that last year was a good year for them. Both Christie’s and Sotheby’s are claiming to have sold about 5 billion dollars in art. Investors are finding that art work is a good and safe investment in an uncertain financial market. Contemporary art is being purchased for the most part by young collectors and investors. This is a growing trend that has been noted the last few years.

It is not surprising that some of the artists who were major contributors to this year’s strong market include the pop artists:  Roy Lichtenstein, and Andy Warhol and abstract artists, Mark Rothko.  These artists who had their introduction to stardom in the early ‘60’s are once again drawing lots of attention.  These are the artists that many young investors today can identify with. 

How long art will rank high as a great investment, no one really knows.  It appears that for now if you want to get make a good and safe investment today and you can afford it, you should look to the art world.

 

Art, Love, Peace and Freedom

Yesterday I celebrated another Martin Luther King Day at the art museum. I always look forward each year to volunteering and helping out with the many activities that are presented at the museum that are free to the public.







This year I was assigned to the Art-Making area. This activity involved creating a Community Quilt. The public, old and young, were invited to select a symbol and use that symbol and other decorations to create a piece for the community quilt. Each individual was given a black square of construction paper about 21/2 inches. Additional supplies were available to make a quick and unique piece for the Quilt that was displayed on a large board in the museum. The contributions to the Community Quilt were colorful and a delight to view. Some of the most creative pieces came from the younger group of visitors.






Everyone participating in this activity was also asked to write something on another piece of construction paper to go along with their art work. They were asked to write a few words about their legacy, or about heirlooms, or anything that they felt was important. After about two hours I was able to view the work of many participants. I couldn’t help but notice that the words “Love, Peace, and Freedom” appeared frequently.






It was a good day at the museum and a great way to celebrate MLK Day because many of us were thinking about art, love, peace and freedom.






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Made By The Artist

I just recently read an article discussing two famous artists arguing whether it is correct to take credit for artwork if an assistant contributes. The article was about David Hockney questioning whether Damien’s Hirsts work could be considered his own since he uses a number of assistants to complete his pieces of work.







I believe this is very similar to major writers today who are producing books at record pace. I am not one hundred percent sure, but I suspect many of these bestselling authors are using assistants to help with the mundane part of writing a novel. I believe the main idea or subject belongs to the noted author. The author’s name alone goes on the finished work and he gets credit for producing the work. The assistants may or maynot be mentioned in the credits.






This new concept art today is very large and very tedious. I would not begin to imagine one individual artist solely completing these huge projects. Years ago there were artists who tackled major projects. Take Michelangelo, architect, sculptor, and painter of the Sistine Chapel, for example. I have read that Michelangelo refused to train apprentices and did not allow anyone to watch him work. The concept artists today are not interested in creating one great inspired piece of work. They would most likely, I regret to say, prefer to create as many works of art as possible due to monetary reasons.

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Books to Treasure

This is the time of the year a lot of people are thinking about giving and/or receiving gifts. I was thinking abou a gift that my aunt gave me when I was 6 months old. The gift was a book, A Child’s Book of Prayers, selected by Louise Raymond and illustrated by Masha.  I still have the book today.

Books are probably at the top of most list of gifts that are most treasured by people. This book holds special meaning because I received it when I was very young and impressed by all new things. I still enjoy looking at the beautiful illustrations and reading the versus. This book is in very fragile condition. The colored paper boards are rubbed and worn around the edges. The spine of this book has been repaired in a very unprofessional manner with tape. The pages are separating from the boards at the hinges. I have to be very careful when I turn the pages. Some of the pages are lightly soiled.  The paper used in 1941 when it was published by Random House was not as good as the quality of paper used today in children’s picture books. I love this book.

I truly enjoy giving books as gifts to the young people on holidays and other special occasions. Someone told me recently that they believed most children will not keep a paper book very long because it is too easy to damage or destroy. I am impressed with the new paper books that are produced today for children. They are a lot sturdier than the books produced fifty or sixty years ago. I will continue to give books to young people as gifts and hope that maybe some of them will keep want to keep and read them for a long time. This book, A Child’s Book of Prayers, is a precious part of my childhood and I will treasure this book forever.


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Virtual Art

I think I am warming up to virtual art or at least I tell myself I am. I’ve have been reading a lot lately about some of the major artists turning to digital art as a way to provide art work to those who cannot afford their traditional work. I am not surprised by this new development. Electronic art – it had to happen sooner or later. There’s an app for almost everything. Why not art?

I will have to admit that I am not totally sold on this latest trend for all things digital. Although the publishing companies seem to have adopted this as a new way to do business in the future, I believe that everything digital is not good. I still read paperbooks and occasionally purchase a CD.

I suspect that this new trend to digital art work has taken off regardless of whether it will be a good thing for the art industry. It will be interesting to see in the next few years where this new venture takes us. Will we no longer have artist producing art work that you can feel, smell and hold?

Time will tell if the collectors and admirers embrace this new technology for the visual arts. As I slowly adapt to this new technology, I think as an art lover I will continue to visit as many galleries and museums as possible to view the real thing.



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Why Pop Art?

What makes Pop Art popular? I have often wondered why Pop Art has sustained its popularity throughout the years. Most large museums have had major shows featuring Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, Jeff Coons, Ty Wobbly and others this year. There were numerous museums exhibiting Warhol all over the country this year. One of the major shows at the museum in the city where I live was Andy Warhol.

It seems that the when the Pop artists first became popular in 1962 and it was new many were acquiring this work and the prices began to skyrocket. Many who were early investors in Pop art compared their acquisitions to high priced stocks. Today, perhaps the same is true. At recent postwar and contemporary art auctions, the Pop art work is going for ridiculously large sums of money.

Some say Pop Art is for the masses. Most people enjoy Pop Art because of its simplistic style and perhaps because it reflects the soul of a society. Pop Art still rules today and you could probably say it has become as much of a commodity as gold and silver.

You can find a great selection of art books and auction catalogs at Nella’s Books and Collectibles.


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