Blog:
Becoming a "Great" Artist
Becoming a "Great" Artist
Aug 23, 2023In my opinion there are key things to remember to become a "Great" artist. Moving past the skill of creating the art itself and focusing on the other aspects I see that primarily they are subject matter, message, and uniqueness.
Subject Matter
You may be excellent at painting or sculpting or drawing a vase with flowers. But how many works of art regarding a vase with flowers can you remember seeing in your life? One stands out to everyone and that is van Gogh's vase with sunflowers. He made several of these. But one thing that people don't realize without thinking about it is that van Gogh did not get famous for his paintings of sunflower vases. It's vice-versa. His sunflower vases became famous because they were by van Gogh. They remain famous because they are the most traded and thus keep fetching higher prices.
But, admittedly, it's just a vase of sunflowers.
A much more famous painting of his is Starry Night. This is likely the first painting that comes to mind when most people think of van Gogh's works. The view that we see in Starry Night is actually inspired by the view that Van Gogh saw from his bedroom in the asylum. The stars are nearly exploding, the grassy growth in the foreground resembles a foreboding castle. The currents of air showing turmoil... this is a very expressive art but also subject to interpretation. Especially if you don't know the story behind what view inspired it. This is likely one of the paintings that made van Gogh's work famous instead of riding on his coat tails.
A view from an asylum bedroom, a village that many people visited, and a landscape that is more than "Just" a landscape. The Subject Matter of a "Great" artist should leave an impression. It should be memorable. It won't be memorable if it's "JUST" something.
A painting of a bear is "JUST" a painting of a bear. A painting of a flower is "JUST" a painting of a flower. However, a painting of a bear holding a flower... or of a flower holding up a bear- THAT is memorable subject matter and not "JUST" another painting.
Message
The message you hope to portray with your art is a factor that affects the reception of your art. It's not the the message you may be intending to send, it may also be the message that the viewer reads into it - the latter being that which you have little control of.
One example artist that comes to mind is the works of Salvador Dali. Let us consider two works of his: "The Persistence of Memory" and "Basket of Bread".
"The Persistence of Memory" is well known for it's melting clocks. What makes this art have strong influence on the viewer is that, even if one didn't know the title, the viewer would still form a message along the line of "Time is running out". This is something we all relate to and, especially after middle age, strikes a viewer deeply. Regardless of the message sent, the message received by the viewer is one that resonates with all of us. I encourage you to look up the meanings behind the separate objects in the image for one common understanding by art reviewers is that "Even though things stay, time still runs out".
Now let's look at "Basket of Bread".
it's a basket...
with a cut of bread...
The work is well painted with oil on wood panel. The lighting is splendid, the detail is amazing, the composure is spot-on. ... but ... it's a basket.... with a bit of bread in it....
"The Persistence of Memory" skyrocketed his career.
"Basket of Bread" is a basket... with a bit of bread in it.
When composing your art do not only consider the message you are trying to send. Also consider the message they will receive when they look at your art without context of title, artist, or inspiration. The message you send with your art matters.
Uniqueness
Today everyone has a "Melting Clock" tucked away in a sketch book or a "Starry Night" scribbled on the cover of their 80's throw-back trapper keeper. They will not make a mark for these subjects because, frankly, it's been done to death. There is nothing unique about a vase of flowers or a basket of bread. Though those paintings may become famous if the artist becomes famous, but the artist will not become famous because of those paintings. They get noted and remembered for the original way they express their subject matter and and messages just as much for what those items are. Everyone already knew that "time runs out". But to skillfully express that with melting clocks... that was original at the time. So when composing your artwork consider the message you hope they receive from viewing it. And consider how to send that message in a more original, unique, and "YOU" way. Only you can do that.
-VB
"YAKOEBLLIWTI"
original sketch by Vincent Burgess
no predetermined up or down for this work. Either display is correct.