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Age-ism and art...
Mon, 31 Jan 2011 — tiogerber
So there I was, sitting with Robert Hodgins in his house...(who is he? only one of the greatest contemporary artist in SA - born in Dulwich 1920)... a man, a legend and I am happy to say, he became my friend. Rob was a walking encyclopaedia. He was an artist of great vocabulary. He spoke his canvasses to life - and he expressed elements of life that words can not express. Rob was determined to live to a 100 and be the first artist to start a new canvas at 100! Sadly he passed away and was unable to achieve this goal - but his work is a legacy of the man - the artist. When you consider his work - have a look at ( http://www.goodman-gallery.com/artists/roberthodgins ) it is difficult to think that these paintings were done by such a senior person. To my mind he was a sweet old soul that should be painting daisies and stillife. Yet, his brush-stoke was bold and distressed. He painted obscene and fragile images. Not the typical stereotype I would have envisioned. I have been challenging myself (as a much younger man) - to come up with something unique, something contemporary of the time I live in. The place I live in. The things personal to me, and an expression of my thoughts. And you know what... it is not easy. I look at Rob's work and I think it is so easy - so simple - a child can do it. And I am right - a child can. It is easy to copy another artist - or paint a photo, or a sunset, or stillife or even another painting. And it is probably true that there is nothing original just variations of a theme... but, I am so thankful - to have met such an inspired artist - and what I have learnt from Rob - is that it is not the age you carry, but the brush stroke you offer - that sets you apart!
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Age-ism and art
I would agree that age is of no real consequence in art. Two of the Uk's finest artists, Mary Fedden and Lucien Freud are still producing great art, as is Gillian Ayres, the former is in her 90's and Freud is 89.
Looking back Monet, Renoir and Picasso were all producing great paintings in their old age, so it seems that as long as one can see and hold a paintbrush one can continue painting.
Age-ism and art
Very good comments and some fine examples used! I was just wondering if the quality of work being produced can be still considered of artistic merit - or do you think that because they became what they are, I.e. famous! that it is purely the signature that now values the work - or the work itself?
In Robert’s case, he would work months on a blob here or a blob there... and as he admitted himself one day in conversation: "what if people one day discover and think I actually wasn't any good!"
This obviously is not purely physical-age related but related to the AGE we live in. Consider the fast pace society of instant fix and celebrity culture worship - that we simply accept these mere bread-crumbs as treasures, instead of acknowledging true artistic merit that doesn't have the "status attached" or the endorsement of finances behind it.
This then begs the question: what makes art great?