The average person believes he or she has an above average intelligence. Yep! I know it is an idiotic concept but it is true. The social scientists have done the research. If you are still not sure perhaps you should ask yourself where you fit in. I am sure you will have the same answer as I had.

I think this phenomenon is more pronounced in the art crowd, I am sure you have seen the works that are trying to be clever – they are those that are incomprehensible. Fortunately there is a protocol on such occasions. You hear key words to unlock the enigmatic work whispered by those who appear more informed than you but who have merely preceded you. Once overheard it is your turn to appear knowledgeable and whisper the phrases to the less informed.

There is a hierarchy of cleverness. The academically trained are at the top. Generally, they do not have a saleable product and are beyond comprehension to the “ignorant and uncultured” public. At the bottom are the professional artists who are liked and understood but merely talented. The perception is that talent is innate and has nothing to do with intellect, experience or hard work. These artists are more likely to take the advice of Groucho Marx who said “most of us must compensate for our low intelligence with hard work”. He was no fool.

The history of education in the arts has a lot to do with the end result. In the distant past artists trained apprentices who started their careers by grinding and mixing paints. Later the teaching of artists moved to the academies and art schools. Here, copying the masters was a common practice and paint came in tubes. More recently art education moved into universities. It is not surprising then that the art produced has been influenced by the ivory tower and become more theoretical in nature.

Traditional painting, sculpture and the manual labour that they entail has been thrown out in favour of conceptual art. Artists have become art directors who orchestrate assistants, technicians and engineers and make things like installations. The projects are often large and impressive but surely the credit should go to the engineer and assistants. It reminds me of a quote by A H Weiler “Nothing is impossible for the man who doesn’t have to do it himself”. It is even easier for the artist if his work is funded by the public purse.

It seems then that there are two kinds of art and artists. There are the paint pushers, mud muckers and sawdust suckers who, like me, enjoy playing in the dirt and the cerebral artists who do not expect to get their hands dirty. They appear to have more advantages because being academically trained they have the paper credits and gain employment. Then, while comfortably employed, are able to apply for grants. This enables them to study, publish or exhibit and travel overseas and make works of art. All of which is good for the C.V. and obtaining more grants. Sales are unnecessary and even regarded with suspicion. Their measure of success is the amount of controversy they stir up. Not surprisingly they are envied by the career artist but ignored by a disinterested public.

In contrast, the professional artist must make a product and sell it in order to live. He or she needs to be technically skilled and hard working. Usually they are a one man band counting on commercial galleries and depending on the public for support. Ironically, if they are successful, it is often regarded as proof that they have compromised their principles for financial gain.

It would seem that the academic artists are winning this game hands down except for their relationship with the public. Now, with the recession, their position is less comfortable. Where countries have had to cut budgets they have chosen the arts as an easy target. Despite the wailing and gnashing of teeth, Britain has slashed 20% off its arts budget. I imagine within those budgets they will try and retain jobs and as a result it will be the grants that are most affected.

Cleverness comes in many forms, some are more in fashion than others; it is when it is coupled with hard work that it is most fertile. Mixing colours turns out not to be so simple. It requires talent. I know, as I have a wife who does it everyday mending ceramics and she is particularly good at it. She has clients from three different continents that have great respect for her ability and she is not feeling the recession. Since she is my spouse I must use the word talent instead of intellect. It relegates her job to one of manual labour and helps me to retain a semblance of control.

Regards,
Carl

New work

      2011  | Old Man of the Sea |  245 x 125 x 110  |  Carl Roberts home gallery, South Africa

     2011  | Scrap |  880 x  2100  x  360  |  Carl Roberts home gallery, South Africa

     2011  | Out on a Limb |  1800 x 980 x 230  |  Carl Roberts home gallery, South Africa