A Sense of History

I got up to the Studio for a few hours in the afternoon, mostly to make sure I didn't nap the afternoon away. I spent the time taking notes, doing little sketches, thinking about some upcoming projects. Nothing far enough along to post yet, but I hope to get started on a new project in the next week or so.

I spent more time today looking at a book my father found at a flea market this morning. This oversized (17.5" x 15") paperback is a little worn- the cover is detached, but the pages are stapled through the edge- perhaps how he got it for $5. As stated on the cover, it contains images of 50 American paintings; how many are masterpieces is debatable. I'm no art historian, but I know a thing or two about art and have a pretty good memory. And as such, I am familiar with the names of only 20 of the 50 artists (there are a few anonymous pieces), and only know 9 of the paintings. The cover also claims 200 years of American painting, but the vast majority were more than 100 years old (when the book was published 40 years ago), and only 16 were from the 20th century, which is when American painting starts to become interesting and unique. Not that all this means that there aren't some good and interesting paintings in the book. I may have a few of the more obscure ones turned into slides for class in the fall. But it is a lesson on the place in history of artists. At one time, all these artists were celebrated, perhaps in demand. And there are probably collectors today who are familiar with this work and pay good money for it at auction. However, you won't find it in the general art history texts, and it's ignored by the contemporary art world. The reputation of an artist often has little to do with the art itself. It can rise and fall depending on what style is in fashion and what the popular theories are. My prints sit in collections along with some pretty big name artists, but what future print curators will make of them is anybody's guess.