Why I admire artists

Here is my translation of an article by Lizzy Vartanian, published in her lovely Gallery Girl blog, which gives us reasons why she admires artists. Here is the link to the original!

Because this blog celebrates art and everything around it, I rarely write articles devoted entirely to artists. Most are about artworks and exhibitions, but still, by all means, the creators of these works remain in the background. Here, I will explain only why I admire artists and why you might admire them too!

First of all, artists have a strong character. On a personal level they put themselves on the line. They are self-employed in the sense that there is no one behind them, they put themselves at hard risk in terms of economic security, especially when they try to become established people. Moreover, being self-employed also means that if problems arise in their work, they have no colleagues or associations to support them: in short, there is no one to cover for them.

I also see a strong character in the courage and determination to make the decision to really be an artist. Every year thousands of students go to study in Art Schools; however, how many of them actually decide to make art once they graduate? Not many. It takes guts to decide to go against the grain and choose to make art instead of going to an office job.

Being an artist also denotes dedication and determination in a culture where there is so much competition and little chance of success. This sense of steadfastness allows an artist to resist ignorant comments such as even a five-year-old would be capable of doing it, a phrase one hears so many times. If a five-year-old child would be capable of doing it, then why didn’t you do something ten times more spectacular? Yes, a five-year-old child might perhaps be able to make the same marks on paper, but would he be able to cope with an exhibition, devise meaning behind a work, and put himself on the market to procure fame and wealth? No, I don’t think so.

Finally, I admire artists for the way the most famous ones are remembered in history. As a personal comment as an art historian and a point of reflection: how many people study or would know how to name a famous art historian? Only the art historians themselves, and a few others. Conversely, how many people would know how to declaim a list of artists? Probably the vast majority. Even making a comparison with the entertainment world, where we can still remember musicians and actors from the last century, there are many more artists over time than famous and remembered figures in our society. You would be severely challenged to name a singer or actress from Renaissance Italy, but it would only take you a moment to remember the art of Michelangelo and Raphael.

Hopefully, after reading this article you will have a little more respect for an artist who gets fame from what appears to be a scribble on a crumpled piece of paper.

Warning: the translation into English of the original Italian article was created using automatic tools. We undertake to review all articles, but we do not guarantee the total absence of inaccuracies in the translation due to the program. You can find the original by clicking on the ITA button. If you find any mistake,please contact us.