Commercial Trade Roots
Simple Tradesmen
Up until the manufacture of the camera, all of Europe's artwork had been consigned to illustration, portraits, or paintings of domestic life. Artist's themselves were considered tradesmen. If a child showed artistic talent, they would be turned out to apprentice at an early age. When Michelangelo first joined Ghirlandaio's studio as an apprentice, he was considered a late starter at 17.
A Genre of Illustration
The bulk of work from the old masters consists mainly of canvases and frescos depicting scenes from the Bible, the lives of saints, mythology, portraits, domestic scenes, landscapes, and still lifes. More risqué paintings of the undraped human form were also marketed. |
| Biblical Illustration |
However, a particular disdain is placed upon "illustration," even though our much-hallowed old masters were simply turning a buck painting "pictures." Those pictures may have been depictions of a battle, a coronation, or in many instances, a portrait to illustrate the notable rise of a simple shopkeeper to a respectable merchant. On such occasions, a formal portrait was required to assert this newfound need for respect.
Enter Technology
 |
| Early Camera |
By the time the first Impressionist painters appeared on the scene, around the dawn of the 20th century, the artist's quest for reality had morphed to the pursuit of the moment. Instead of pure representational renderings and illustration, art had become paint for paint's sake. Still, the modern concept of "fine art" had yet to be conceived.
 |
| Monet's "Bain à la Grenouillère" |
The New Masters
As an artist, Monet had the technical paint handling abilities, and continued paint developed where the older master had left off. To the impressionists, paint quality was paramount when capturing "the moment."Still, this new school of artists suffered because the academic painters of the Paris Salon's continued to rule the day in sales. Monet and his friend Renoir would be forced to un-stretch many a canvas, roll them tightly with twine, and then burn them to keep warm, in place of the coal they could not afford, all the time commenting to one another on how great a heat yield their little flax log inventions provided.
 |
| Kandinsky |
Modern Art
Art for art sake would grow from Post-Impressionism to later include Fauvism, Cubism, Expressionism, and even Futurism. Braque, Kokoschka, Matisse, Kandinsky, Modigliani, Klee, and dozens of others would join in the new movement of expressive arts, an art form no longer restrained by picture making. However, few of these artists would become financially secure in their chosen careers. Fewer still would reach the soaring heights of Picasso. |
| Picasso: The Dream |
This was true. While still unknown, Picasso would adorn himself in the required "evening wear" and invite himself to garden parties held by Paris society. Unlike most artists of his day, Picasso was gregarious, well-read, and a great talker. He was also quick to befriend the wealthy intelligentsia and learn where the actual buying public resided.
"Fine Arts" is (finally) Born
Victory Party
 |
| Stolen Art Treasures |
Esthetic Collateral
Modern artwork dating back to the Impressionists was both valuable and in demand. Though the Nazis considered this work unsuitable for the Führer’s museum and even classified it as "degenerate," they were acutely aware of its monetary value and the eagerness of Westerners to purchase the works, stolen or otherwise obtained.Consequently, GI's started to catch on and even began to help themselves when possible. However, most of the valuable pieces remained in the hands of the élite during and after the war.
 |
| New York |
Paris had lost its flame as the world's art capital during the Nazi occupation. Like the Olympic Flame that passes from one host country to another, it was in the process of seeking a new home.
King of the World
The U.S. had always played second-fiddle to Europe in culture. Now that it was a world power that had to change. The GI's had returned from Europe with their tales of palaces, castles, and museum-quality private collections of artwork and precious objects. |
| 1950s Art Appreciation Classes |
Soon after the war's end, Art Appreciation and music classes would become required studies in public schools. Museum outings would replace fishing meets, and New York galleries would hire Madison Avenue marketing agencies to created and promote the "Avant-Garde". Fine Arts were born!
 |
| Pollock: Tornadoes (detail) |
New York School
Early greats to show their works in renowned New York galleries would include Jackson Pollack, Robert Rauschenberg, Mark Rothko, Willem de Kooning, Philip Guston, Robert Motherwell, Franz Kline, and others. The New York Avant-Garde portfolio, then known as the "New York School", would be totally modern and included Abstract Expressionism, Minimalism, and Color Field. Representational artwork was taboo.Big Business
Rise Before the Fall
Again, it was difficult to survive as an avant-garde artist unless you were a well-known commodity within the New York School. However, even those artists had to deal with high commission rates. Frequently, the galleries would negotiate a monthly payout rather than handing out large sums. |
| Rothko: Blue, Red & Green |
Scandal
In a court case extending from 1971 until 1979, Rothko's daughter successfully sued Marlborough Galleries in a landmark lawsuit, which forced the gallery to pay tens of millions in damages as well as retuning hundreds of paintings they had essentially helped themselves to from Rothko's garage after his suicide. Obviously, "Fine Art" had become a big business. Like the oil and the automotive markets, Fine Arts had now emerged as an industry.Death in New York
Post 9/11 America
Sometime after 9/11, the rich in America gave themselves a raise and a tax break. Consequently, New York's high-priced paintings became even pricier. Around that time, European buyers and many elsewhere in the U.S. began to feel the stakes were getting too high and turned to other art schools. |
| Milkmaids Novella, by Nikolai Baskakov |
Since they made it a point to not tolerate "decadent Western" art forms, there was an air of originality to these works, though nothing edgy or non-objective. Instead, what had developed was an enormous school of Post-Impressionism.
Even if the work was out of touch with modern trends, everyone loves impressionism, and the subjects and compositions were simply gorgeous to ignore. The paint quality alone rivaled anything in the New York School.
Subsequently, Russian paintings are drawing the largest audiences abroad and even elsewhere in the U.S. 20th century Russian paintings are regularly being sold in auctions (i.e., Sotheby’s, Christie’s). Over $1 Billion sold in Russian art at just Sotheby's in the past 10 years.
 |
| Chuck Close Self Portrait |
Transfiguration
Trading-in the Blue Jeans
 |
| US Ground Troops |
America's military, political, and even agricultural (i.e., Monsanto) bullying has been a real turn-off. In addition, the Euro-Union, so similar to the government structure of the United States, has been a total bust. Add to this America's international image as a debtor nation and deadbeat, and Europeans are ready to trade their U.S. designer blue jeans in for just about anything homegrown.
Wait a minute! Those Old Master paintings, they're homegrown! So there may be some life in those old canvases yet.
Return of the Old Masters
What's to become of the art industry? The two major buying entities at US galleries today are specialized collectors with big budgets and the nouveau riche, including executives who write themselves extensive bonus checks (remember when that used to be called "embezzlement"?). This latter group only buys art after they've purchased their third or fourth home and are looking to decorate. In this instance, it's usually more quantity than quality that counts.Today, the upper-middle-class tend to purchase works from artists they know or from a neighbor who has picked up the brush. The middle-class, that used to buy the least expensive pieces and then discard them along with their used televisions, simply can't afford to buy artwork anymore (though television sales remain brisk).
As for the eventual demise of New York, no one can say where the next art capital of the world will reside or even if there is to be one. For that matter, it's impossible to know what the future of the 20th Century's invention of "Fine Arts" will be, especially with the emergence of "fine" computer-generated art reproductions.
 |
| Rembrandt: Self Portrait |
The Real Deal
One thing is sure. We are only a few short years away from museum certified, hi-definition, relief etched, Giclée reproductions of Museum paintings. These will be unlike any printings to come before. Brushstrokes and high-definition inking will make these copies indistinguishable from the real deal. There already exists an emerging market for computer-generated copies of museum sculpture. Perfectly textured paint renderings cannot be far behind.With government funding to museums gone and subscriptions/memberships at an all-time low, it isn't a stretch to imagine perfect computerized replicas of Old Masters selling for tens of thousands of dollars apiece. But, unfortunately, reproductions with replicated colors and textures can only be distinguished as copies with a powerful microscope.
Imagine you're a bright executive, and you just received (or wrote yourself) a fat bonus check after purchasing a second (or third) home for $2.4M. Doesn't an exact, almost foolproof, a replica of your favorite Rembrandt self-portrait sound just perfect right above the mantelpiece?
What then becomes of the millions of struggling contemporary painters and sculptors is anyone's guess.
Got Feedback?
Comments? Questions? Corrections? Any feedback at all? Just click on the comments box at the bottom of this page and enter your thoughts. All comments are welcome.
La Entrada a la Plaza, the oil painting by Tom Mallon. This 27.8" x 20.5" canvas is the latest addition to the Santa Fe Portrait Series. The Plaza is the throbbing heart of downtown Santa Fe and is surrounded by history.
Visit this update by CLICKING HERE
Shostakovich and Cultural Snobbery, Could anyone survive Stalin's Purges, compose a large body, write for himself and the masses while producing constantly great work?
Visit this later update by CLICKING HERE
Tom Mallon's website "MallonArt". This website will provide you with links to all his paintings, drawings and other artwork portfolios, including the ongoing series entitled the Santa Fe Portrait.
Visit this later update by CLICKING HERE
