Famous artists, lousy art

From Prospek

Painting is an art and people objectively appreciate it.

I am an student of Yogyakarta Art Institute and I can appreciate and enjoy the works of maestro Affandi or Amri Yahya with his batik motifs.

But I fail to understand and enjoy the painting by public figures or famous people which were displayed in some galleries or published at some magazines recently. The eagerness of the people to collect and buy their works surprises and confuses me.

I wonder whether buyers are enthusiastic to own these works just because the painters are famous people. They usually are businessmen or businesswomen, government officials, wives of ministers or other public figures. They appreciate the creators and not the works which are actually of a low artistic value. They also don't mind to spend millions of rupiah to own such works of art.

This phenomenon is dangerous. Such appreciation will reduce the artistic values and aesthetic touch of truly beautiful and interesting work, especially if the painters are not so famous.

I say such works are confusing because they make a person like me who emphasizes an appreciation based on artistic values of art confused. This is also confusing for the young painters, for perhaps they will think, "Before becoming an artist (painter), I should be a famous or successful businessmen or businesswomen first. Although my paintings have bad and low artistic values, I am confident that they will be highly appreciated and have high price."

This is an erroneous opinion and will be a setback for painting world, as to be a famous person takes a long time. And at the same time his creativity and imagination has to be promptly expressed in canvas before it has disappeared.

KIKY

Yogyakarta