Why I rarely look at contemporary artists’ artworks? Does it mean that I am ignorant? Or, maybe I want to stress that nowadays, no one creates astonishing artworks?
Of course not. Quite the opposite. I am convinced that nowadays many great artists will be included in the annals of history. I believe that today there are a lot of art geniuses. These are the people who create and who will be remembered for a long time, thanks to their creative activity. I believe that both brilliance and stupidity do not know either border of time and places. I am sure that throughout the ages (with modern times included), there were, and will be, many people being born in every part of the world who can create breathtaking art.
Nevertheless, as I stated in the first sentence, I rarely analyze contemporary artists’ artistic legacy. Why?
I have already written about it in one of my previous posts. In my opinion, the most significant test for the artist’s artwork is time. For me, if someone wants to consume other painters’, musicians’ or writers’ artworks, after many years after their death, that means their artistic legacy is very precious.
Let’s listen to Chopin’s mazurkas. Do people still listen to his music? Or, do still people read Fyodor Dostoyevski’s novels? Is Seneca still a valued philosopher? Do people still want to queue to see Leonardo da Vinci’s paintings?
The answers to these questions are obvious.
Like I wrote before, I am sure that practically every day (both in the past and the future), we are being born both geniuses and idiots in every corner of our planet. Both talent and idiotism do not know the borders of times and countries. That’s why I believe we possessed, still have, and will obtain many great artists, no matter in what times we live.
But, to be honest, I do not have time for contemporary artists. I am focusing on those who already threw themselves into history. I prefer to take inspiration from those who had already passed the test of time.
