Lately I have been thinking about what I would want to obtain from a master’s degree and how I would propose a thesis. Obviously my biggest intention would be to improve the quality of my photography, but in terms of theoretical development there is one idea that seems to fascinate me the most; a move from post modernism to new sincerity.
My experience at university did not fill me with an appreciation for contemporary art, or give me the tools to critique it’s intellectual or aesthetic qualities. It made me skeptical of the institutions that keep galleries and working artists present in society. Post modern theory was applied to each and every students work as well as the established artists we would study. The critiques would not contain thoughts on if we emotionally responded to the pieces or enjoyed them but if we felt they were of “interest” or commented on something deeper than the surface aesthetic. Often these sessions over intellectualized both the intentions of an artist and the audience response. This was easy to do when much of the work had accompanying essays or pretext, providing the audience with a literary challenge before observation of the piece at hand could even commence.
I am attempting to write this without sounding bitter or hurt that perhaps I didn’t always have the desired high brow, educated opinion that might have allowed me to appreciate these works. I am also remembering those that I wrongly turned my nose up to, who would fail assignments when presenting projects that fell into the relms of craft or illustration. But what I am trying to convey is that whilst studying fine art, I was never encouraged to judge the quality of aesthetic over the intellectual context of an art work. I never discussed the success in execution of a students craft and instead dwelt on the meaning behind its short comings or failures. We were always expected to believe that every person’s interpretation of art was equally valid and in turn; quality and artistic vision were subjective. This post modern critiquing often confused the majority of students output.
Some tacked on these commentating, underlying theories and motifs to physical mediums, simply to give an aesthetic vision a layer of faux intellect. Others fully removed traditional art practices from their work, committing entirely to some form of social comment often through performance. Some failed semester after semester unable to simply lie about their actual intentions and give the sub par reason of practicing their chosen medium to achieve a higher quality of work. My biggest feelings of resentment towards the system that valued our work come from the notion that whilst encouraging us to add layers of subtext and reflections on societies complexities through mediums that aren’t bound by traditional art forms, nobody asked if we believed in what we were doing or if we produced the work with genuine sincerity.
I know that art can and often should have a deeper impact than visual stimulation or fulfill aesthetic requirements. I believe that art can function as a motive for change and should express any number of challenging issues. However, I do not feel that an artist’s work is validated by the inclusion of a societal reflection or ethical statement. I don’t expect an artist’s output to require an intellectual connection or be seen through a prism of ethic/social/political awareness. I would argue postmodernism relies too heavily on the reflection of its surroundings and context, requiring everything to be seen through a filter of location, technology, society, ethics, ethnicity and any other influence that must undoubtedly touch an artist’s life.
I believe that producing work with a hope of connecting emotionally, pushing the forms of a medium and being committed to the process of creativity, without irony should be the driving motives behind contemporary art. Societal commentary and contextual meaning have become overbearing factors on aesthetic quality and the exploration of medium. There should be no need to mimick an understood function or daily occurrence or add a layer of reflection to fulfill meaning or worth. Art should be able to stand alone without context and be a pure expression regardless of origin or situational context. Intellect is not a requirement to create something relevant and visually impactful and it never has been.
In all art forms people are now realising work that does not subscribe to the post modern interpretation. Creativity can come from a sincere and honest place and can still challenge, excite and please an audience without questioning their intellectual background or require they have a pre-existing knowledge of deeper context or socio-political bearing.
I hope that I can make work for myself and for the sole purpose of being creative and if a message that validates an intellectual arguement is incorporated, it will be second to aesthetic quality and not remove value from an artistic vision.
A J Carlton 