Lets Talk Art: Ref 3 Art or Ornament? 23 May 2020

Art or Ornament?

The other day I was astonished by a statement by one of my friends who, after his retirement as lawyer, became a full-time fine artist creating brilliant acrylic paintings. You have actually already met him as "Philistine" in our very first Let's Talk Art article.Well, this troublesome remark by my friend was sparked by the following incident. I have namely emailed him some pictures of amazing art pottery made by another very gifted friend of mine. The lawyer’s wife immediately fell in love with one of the pottery masterpieces and I, in my true nature as serious advocate of art sales, then swiftly took up the opportunity to suggest that the lawyer acquire the piece. To my horror, this fellow remarked that his spouse has plenty of “ornaments” already. Of course, he was just making fun at me. He has always been very articulate and true to his profession thoroughly recognize the significance of expressive terms in a court of law. Therefore, when this well-spoken law-man presented to “court” this true piece of art as just another specimen of a variety of decorative objects, it forced the “jury” to question their frame of reference and to reconsider their longstanding beliefs. It left the bench with the aenigma that all ornaments in the general sense of the word cannot easily be defined as art but that ALL art may well be classified as ornamental.

Still in awe, I then countered another friend of mine. This serious artist likewise has the gift of the gap and a way with words, spoken as well as written and she is fiery by nature. You know me, I like to stir…… As expected, this lady totally lost it when I suggested that she assist me in exploring the possibility that art may only be decorating our homes.

This was her response.

There is a vast difference between decorative and academic art. In previous centuries, original art were honored items in households and homes were never jam-packed with wooden crosses, baskets or welded geckos. Art was admired, original items that could only be afforded by stink-wealthy folks. The exception was less well-off art lovers that saved money and made down payments on original assignments for the reason that they simply could not live without it. I tend to have more admiration for the latter, because it is an indication that the buyer recognized the artist's soul in that workpiece.

Decorative items, on the other hand, is a fairly new trend. The stuff are usually the product of crafts and mass production and unfortunately also include replicas, prints and copies of real artwork. This commercially driven industry made it affordable for people to embellish their homes, floor to ceiling, with items very often reflecting the brand MADE IN CHINA. Décor fads and whims are sheepishly trailed by people with money and whose knowledge of art is diminutive. Decorative items can thus easily end up on the garbage heap amongst other rubbish, because people soon get tired of it, or it goes out of fashion and they then seek another trend or decor tendency to waste money on.

One tiny step up from the above, there is furthermore undeniably a trend of so-called artists, who in sausage-machine-style, one after the other, turn out paintings of flowerpots, bicycles or scrubbing megapode hens under a washing line. Emotion and thoughtful topics and abstraction play no role in the childlike version of topics which the masses adore. Ignorant buyers will then pay astronomical amounts for an “original” piece signed by an artist with a household name, only a) because the neighbor and everyone else owns one b) the item is decorative and c) the buyer look at it and they "understand" the subject. These “artists” are especially successful when they have a marketing strategy that attracts particularly feminine "groupies". "Art" then becomes a ridiculous method to catch the herd animal. These are the types of artists that make art banal and insignificant. Like DEFY, it becomes public ownership.

Yes, nowadays "kitsch" is high fashion, but can one really compare a Fabergé egg to an ostrich egg featuring a painted image of an ostrich or put a Lalique glassware item next to a Consol glass item? So, by the way, I also despise poor art being mounted in most expensive frames that are worth ten times the artwork. Another thing - true art is not a style or subject which repeats itself on every tomdickanharry’s walls and therefore mass-produced copies and prints can easily degenerate true art into a Tretchikoff-like decorative item. 

True art, on the other hand, is a reflection of the soul. It is original work created by man's hand, inspired by emotion and passion. This process involves visions, color, detail, texture and even odor. Influences and several aspects and facets of an artist's life journey and their emotional life space at the time of the creation are notable in the outcome. It then takes a real fine artist, a serious art collector or an art expert to recognize the subtle nuances of genuine art, to interpret the technique, subject and soul meaning thereof and to occasionally make their own observations. If this can be done, only then can we call it real art.

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People who buy real art are in two distinctive categories - some buy to make an investment; others acquire artwork for the intrinsic value thereof. I personally believe a lover of fine art will always have an original piece, even if it is very small, has been made by an unknown artist or has no sales value at all.  Yes, and it is sadly true, many real fine artists with excellent training and sometimes genial talent are never recognized. Luckily true artists are not dependent on approval of others, neither is money the driving force behind the creation of real art. Most excellent artists can only make a reasonable living as only a very small number of them get a lucky break and become famous. But this never kills the inspiration to create.

Therefore, it all depends on taste, culture, environment, training and viewpoint, whether you see a real artwork as a decorative item or as an ornament.

What I referred to above is an based on 45 years of being a professional artist

Regards

Dorothy Laguerenne Wannenburgh Mathews

My notes:

1.    How do you describe ornaments? (Make your pick…)
Here are some adjectives for ornaments: noncommittal and ostentatious (showy), wonderfully beautiful and complex, single meretricious, fragile native, exterior and adventitious, false or unseasonable, fragile and priceless, deformed but indispensable, gaudy and technical, flexible, circular, slender and charming, chief and ...https://describingwords.io/for/ornaments

2.   I am still not sure if a fine piece of art may really fall into the classification of "ornament"….

Ps. You can view Dorothy’s art on Facebook at:

https://www.facebook.com/dorothylaguerennewannenburgh.mathews

https://www.facebook.com/dorothylaguerenne.wannenburghmathews.9

Kind regards

Steph