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Permalink Reply by Noel Hodnett on 30 May 2008 at 3:01am

One should obviously just get on with the job. We as artists..."creators" if you will...are not, nor should be, here to please the critics...or anybody else for that matter. Critics, like anyone, are welcome to comment on what they see from their perspective as an observer of culture. But, there are Critics and there are "critics"....like there are Artists and "artists".

There are "critics" who are very eager to relegate an artistic work to some or other fashionable (or not so fashionable) bin, who are more often than not frustrated, failed, wannabe artists with little more than a working knowledge of social journalism or, at best, a piddling knowledge of art theory. These so-called "critics", with their false sense of self-importance, often have very superficial, uninformed and usually subjective opinions of the work they so blithely criticize. So why would one take them seriously and thereby elevate them to a level of importance as the oracles of culture? History has proven most critical opinion of the day unreliable anyway. It is after all the artist who creates the work not the critic. Criticizing is the easy bit.

Having said that, I'm always interested in what people have to say about art, especially well-educated, objective Critics who have something of value to offer. Everyone has a right to express an opinion but that doesn't mean one has to kowtow to it and thereby compromise one's own work.

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Permalink Reply by Susanne Niebruegge-Alm on 30 May 2008 at 6:21am

I can only agree with what Noel said. For many artists its difficult enough to hold on to the individual way, what is the essence of beeing artist.

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Permalink Reply by Ismo Jokiaho on 30 May 2008 at 5:35am

Hi! This may sound cynical ( i don´t intend to do so or be cynical either. ) but, there are so many critics as artists too. But seriously, if artist knows what He / She is doing critics are perhaps just a somekind PR or marketing people. Nothing more or less. So it is actually a bit complicated because, it may be the "career issue" for artist but on the other hand critics should not be taken sooo seriously. But as I said before the are sooo many kind of critics too ;-)

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Permalink Reply by Prakash Bal Joshi on 30 May 2008 at 5:57am

thanks for invite to the discussion group. personally, i do not take critics, like professional people who write on art very seriously . they have set views and ideas and have strong opinions. i feel any artist if he or she starts taking such criticism seriously will get affected , it will refelct in his work. i would rather like to interact with fellow artists , seek their views, take them seriously, as they are the best people who understand creative process , and enrich my work. that is one reason why i spend time every day on artview.com and try to interact with people who are involved in creative work.

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Permalink Reply by Ismo Jokiaho on 30 May 2008 at 6:54am

You said it! :-)

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Permalink Reply by dawn hilton on 30 May 2008 at 10:36am

I once took it personal what a professional curator said to me, "You can't enter that she was an icon and has just died".

My reply was " jesus is an icon and creators will always paint him"

With that I got in my car and told her to stick her gallery up her arse.

I wouldn't care but it was an open exhibition and it was down to a set of four individual selection panel to say who got in.

This is the painting that the cow was refering to.

I stopped painting for 7 years after that, I was already angry after this painting by Marcus Harvey
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sensation_exhibition

Myra Hindley was famous moors muderess that buried children on the moors of Yorkshire, some children have still never been found.

Marcus Harvey used clay hand casts of childrens hands from a school to use as a stencil to paint this painting of the murderess Hindley.

Sensation? is that what the art world wants and respects?

It made me sick to the stomache at the time, still does.

I recall thinking that the art world did not deserve my time and creations.

Then 7 years on my partner died in an accident, rather than go crazy with the shock, I picked up my brushes and painted myself through a dark time.

14 months on and I'm here.

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Permalink Reply by dawn hilton on 30 May 2008 at 10:01am

Hi guys and thanks for all your intresting comments so far, I think the best one so far was from Jokiaho.
Just see a critic as a PR or Marketing people/tool.

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Permalink Reply by dawn hilton on 30 May 2008 at 11:01pm

'O' do I have to? Oh ok then 'E'.xx

I have just come down with the flu and feel really ill, can you hold the fort for me 'E'?

I ain't felt this ill in years.xxx

These are the two other that go with the series.xx

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