Art for Art’s Sake

Yes, this Topic Gets Under My Skin!

“‘Art for art’s sake ’ is the usual English rendering of a French slogan from the early 19th century, “l’art pour l’art“, and expresses a philosophy that the intrinsic value of art, and the only “true” art, is divorced from any didactic, moral, or utilitarian function. Such works are sometimes described as “autotelic”, from the Greek autoteles, “complete in itself”, a concept that has been expanded to embrace “inner-directed” or “self-motivated” human beings.” – Wikipedia

Back in May of this year, I reposted an old post entitled, Is it Art or Not? In it I ranted a bit about how the powers that be downgrade not only my work, but the work of most “non-traditional” artists. Perhaps the art college I went to wasn’t that bad as to disregard other non-traditional art forms. They are after all one of the leading art schools specializing in transportation and product design, as well as entertainment design. What they do frown upon however, is any art that doesn’t look like the cookie-cutter stuff that their students are trained to produce.

And yes, I have glanced at random people’s portfolios over the years and commented, “Oh, you went to ____ school.” And I’ve always gotten a surprised look and a… “How did you know?”

It’s very slick. It’s very cool. And it’s very professional. But it all…looks…the…same!

There’s nothing individual about any of it. I admire the skill and the discipline. But frankly, if you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all. I’d rather spend a day going through the sketchbooks of all my non-traditional artist friends. Each one is different and unique. And to me, that speaks more to me and inspires me more than anything else.

Granted, the foundational skills are necessary (whether self-taught or by training). I’ll agree with that one hundred percent. But somewhere along the line, find your own style! And whatever art form your work falls into…as long as you’re creating and expressing yourself through this venue, it is art. I think everyone out there (except for my old professors and museum curator types) would agree with me. Hell, I think most would agree with me that even the guy sitting on the sidewalk in Venice Beach spray painting fantasy space scenes is an artist of at least some caliber!

Art or Just Controversial?

Piss Christ by Andres Serrano

That being said, I had a conversation with someone recently who disagreed. “I don’t think it can all be called art. What about that one with a crucifix in a jar of urine?! That isn’t art! It’s just offensive and disgusting!” She was referring to Piss Christ, a 1987 photograph by American artist and photographer, Andres Serrano in which a small, plastic crucifix is submerged in a golden, amber liquid (presumably the artist’s urine). He said about the piece that “while this work is not intended to denounce religion, it alludes to a perceived commercializing or cheapening of Christian icons in contemporary culture.”

Art critic, Lucy Lippard classified it as “mysterious and beautiful.” And Sister Wendy Beckett, art critic and Catholic nun, stated in an interview that she viewed Piss Christ “not blasphemous but a statement on ‘what we have done to Christ’: that is, the way contemporary society has come to regard Christ and the values he represents.”

Fountain by Marcel Duchamp

Understand that I am not Christian, but I am very spiritual and I have to say that the photo bothers me. Personally, I find it disrespectful and yes, disgusting and in poor taste. I would feel the same if it was Buddha, Allah, Zeus and Hera. I think it falls in line with a lot of the Dadaism works that were equally offensive (and meant to be), protesting one thing or another. Like Duchamp’s Fountain, is it art just because the powers that be say it is? Both of these (or replicas of) have been in a number of modern art museums around the world.

Ruffled Feathers

I guess that is what gets under my skin. A photo of a crucifix in a jar of pee and a urinal with the name R. Mutt tagged on the front is considered art, but not what I do or that of so many other artists? If so much of modern and contemporary art can be considered art (and in many cases it boggles my mind as to why that is), then so too should these other forms of art be considered art.

Vyal – Graffiti Artist

Vyal – Visceral Rituals

So for this post I want to talk about some non-traditional artists that absolutely inspire me and all of them create art for art’s sake. I’ll begin with, Vyal… He’s a graffiti artist and a personal friend. His work is both dark and whimsical and completely unique. To me, it stands out from the others and I can always spot his murals around town. Now, I’ve dabbled a bit with airbrushing and it’s a fun deviation from what I normally do, but it’s equally frustrating. So I have total respect for this guy doing what he does with aerosol cans! I’ve known Vyal for a long time and he’s done so much over the years. (I hope to be doing an interview with him soon. Stay tuned!) You can check out his work here.

Mike Lavalee – Airbrush Artist

Hellboy fridge by Mike Lavalee

Next, I’ll go right into airbrush art. This is a guy I’ve only followed online, but he does amazing work. He’s so popular, his Facebook page is maxed out. I can’t even friend request him because he’s reached the limit. Mike Lavallee paints on everything from helmets, bikes and cars to boats, semis, and planes. And his refrigerators? That’s right. I said refrigerators. Holy smokes! I’ve never seen anything so totally amazing. If I had my own place with my own fridge, I’d want it painted by Mike! He can make a motorcycle look like it’s made of stone and his flames have such depth, they seem to come right off the surface. In fact, if you’re interested, I do believe he’s got a couple of how-to DVDs for creating awesome flame. Check out more of his work here.

Glen Hanson – Caricature Artist, Fashion Illustrator, Character Design, Etc.

Wonder Woman by Glen Hanson

Then there’s another of my friends, Mr. Glen Hanson (interview here). I know Glen mostly as a caricature artist, but he’s also a fashion illustrator and editorial illustrator. He does kid’s illustrations, poster designs, animation direction, storyboarding, art direction, and character design, among other things. I followed Glen on social media for some time before I actually met him in person. I was so excited because he had just done several caricatures of my favorite celebrity… Lynda Carter, both as herself and as Wonder Woman. And in fact, we met at Lynda’s concert. He’s an amazing talent and almost completely the opposite of my own art style of near photo-realistic drawings. He can somehow manage to capture the likeness and personality of someone with minimal detail while I agonize over getting every single detail possible. I’ve tried doing caricatures and trust me…it’s not pretty!

Shouldn’t They All Be Admired in Their Own Right?

There are countless others creating art for art’s sake. Comic book artists with the likes of Jim Lee, J. Scott Campbell, Mark Turner, Drew Johnson, and so many more. And there’s this sand artist that just popped up on my Facebook feed, Tim Bengel. Or tattoo artist, Kat Von Dee, whose tattooed portraits are unparalleled. There’s a guy who creates unique knives and swords, but he’s considered a craftsman, not an artist. Forgive me if I’m wrong, but doesn’t he first have to design the blades and handles before he crafts them? Or the group of fantastic people over at Sideshow Collectibles who make incredible statues of your favorite comic book heroes, villains, sci-fi and horror characters…all of these people and many more are all artists.

In Conclusion…

The powers that be, be damned! Art for art’s sake is where it’s at now. Art is about expression, individuality, unique style, and creativity. We no longer live in ancient times or the middle ages where artists had to follow a strict set of rules. These artists and others like them inspire me every day. The art that they create is incredible and mind-blowing.

Yea, some of the stuff hanging in the Louvre, Guggenheim, and the Getty is great too, but they are not the only works worthy of being called art. I think the stuffy curator types just need to loosen up and take their heads out of their collective you-know-whats, open the windows and let the moths out. Take a look around and realize that art is going on all over the place.

The fact is that I value my fellow artists and all their varied forms of art. Well… except maybe for Piss Christ and Duchamp’s Fountain. Perhaps if Duchamp had hired someone like Vyal or Mike Lavallee to cover the urinal with some crazy graffiti art or some sick airbrushed flames…

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