ARTropolis: 2008. Is it Photoshop or is it ART?

Inquiring Minds want to know.

Some Minds don't even care.

Other Minds are mildly interested.

Only 15 years ago, this question would never have come to mind, but it kept springing up floor-after-floor and aisle-after-aisle, much like it does at grocery lines we visit each day (with the cheap tabloid celebrating photographs that really are questionable). If it's visually appealing, does it really matter what it is as long as the message - or display -- is visually arresting? Isn't that the Magic of Art? To make a person stop and look; inquire and comment. Perhaps later to write about the Piece. For the collector to stop; look and then shell out money for an Objet d'Art that can't be taken with you, but the Art will last forever.

As Walt Fydryck, a Chicago based Artist says: "Don't touch The Art. Let The Art touch you."

Understandably, it probably does not really matter how the End Affect is arrived upon. The ever-lasting Effect is what lasts. That First Impression will influence and delight. However, for the Struggling Artist with Talent (where the 'with' is emphasized) who has not gotten his/her Break yet, the Current Marketplace is ttoally gutted, saturated and flooded with 'Wanna-Be' Artists who can afford a PhotoShop Program and have the intellect to 'figure it out.' However, they are not Natural Artists who are lacking in the Flair Category.

AUTOMACY vs. ARTISTRY:

Clyde Hampton (an Artist for 30 years now) laments: "You're not an Artist even if you can afford a pricey Photoshop Program." Clyde's other Gripe is:

"Just because you (meaning an Art Dealer or Gallery) can afford a booth at ARTropolis (or any other trade fair), doesn't mean you undersatnd and promote the 'Best Art.' Will that Art be around 100 years from now or longer?"

These are Good Points, Clyde, that can be used for a lively debate, although I know most people will not readjust their stand.

This Convenience provided by P-shop leads (some) Photoshop Users to believe they can create ART with a few points and clicks, not brush strokes and rubbings. Artists who do have the sparkle and pizzazz to employ PC Graphic Techniques in with their own Medium(s) of Choice can further develop their Talent at a much more rapid pace. But again, the Quadrant of Bottom Lines remain:

1. Who's the Audience?
2. Who'll write about the Art?
3. Who will buy the Art?
4. Will the Art as an individualized Entity or Title pass the Test of Time?

Oh well, in a Society where homes are in foreclosure, does it really matter how the Art is created as long as The Work(s) sell(s)?

The Question then arises:

Why should PhotoShopmanship suddenly gain such wide Appeal?

That Answer is simple. There's plenty of capitol backed by premium marketing tactics while the present focus happens to be on that particular art, genre and/or topic.

TO CONTINUE with the Question:

Why should PhotoShopmanship suddenly gain such wide Appeal?

It's not that we who are boldly Art-centric shun the Introduction of New Art Mediums. The more the merrier. Keeping an Open Mind allows a person to grow as The Art evolves in its own platform dependent on what is produced to advance it across Inter-Cultural Divides.

Today as Reality TV proves, even a 'Flash in the Pan' gets its Day.

ETA: Estimated Time of Arrival:
Entertainment is what Art ultimately provides, as Dance, Theatre and Song. The merrier an element is, the more inductively exciting and inspiring Experiences can become. But, what a No-Talent conceives as Art only pollutes and destroys the Chance of Real Art (which is in the Eye of the Beholder from getting to The Top.

"How can real Art rise to the top when it's suffocated out? Mr. Hampton asks.


Strict Observations concerning Art run rampant at ARTropolis. What's appealing is as individualized as ever. Having the Ability to see so much at one time under one roof, in one precise area derived from all observation points (cultural, regional and artistic) across the Planet is an absolute Treat.

SUMMARY: Airbrushing and Photoshop: Pseudo Art Impersonators. If Cave Man had access to them, imagine how marketing Art would be vastly different. Sometimes it's better to just leave well enough alone and move on to the next Booth...