Baaad Art

What is Bad Art ?

First, let me tell you that I am no art expert, because there are no art experts. There are those who can tell you who did what, when, and where, but they are not art experts. Art is totally subjective and so there can be no experts.

I am an art lover. I love all kinds of art, the good, the bad, and the ugly. Art is a window into the soul, and to look into a pure soul through the artist’s smears on canvas is something of which I will never tire.

The world of art that most see is a mirage. It is a trumped up, hyped up, game of smoke and mirrors played by the wealthy as a hobby. It exists to bring fame to a few. It is a high stakes contest between egos. No high end gallery actually makes a profit, yet there they are telling us what is acceptable and how we should feel about the artist’s feeble attempt to turn three dimensions into two.

Almost all artists seek acceptance and strive to make a living at it. To that end they take classes, or study other artists whom they admire, and try their best to emulate that persons technique. This almost never works. Lessons are good and even Leonardo took lessons. However, this may tend to standardize painting techniques and teach the artist that there are certain formulas which, if they follow them, will give their art mass appeal, which may equal success.

Now, consider the so-called ‘primitive art’ of Haiti, Mexico, Central America, and other places where, perhaps, no training is available. The art there simply evolved and is very beautiful and appealing. Mothers teach daughters, and fathers teach sons the way to do it, and the way to do it right. It is pure and honest. It usually follows a general theme, which may or may not be considered thematic. A lot of it appeals to certain totem animals to bring them a better life. But all of it is individually expressed and unique.

So, what if we just arbitrarily decide we’ve had enough of the over priced, under skilled, “names” who crank out paintings like juji-fruits on an assembly line? What if we line up a lot of paintings from all over the place and make no judgement, just let it be what it is? What if some guy’s art on a piece of cardboard with crayons appeals to you more than the Mona Lisa? We must realize that we are in charge of what we like or don’t like, not some effete snob from the Hamptons.

To this end we have assembled a collection of about 95 original paintings and over 180 print images for you to view. Some you will like, some you will love, and some you will try to ignore. But they represent a small piece of the real world around us, and a peek into the soul of someone you have never known.

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