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When talking about art, we often refer (with reverence to
"the Old Masters), while at the same time, much of our culture seems
obsessed with youth. The book Old Masters and Young Geniuses: The Two Life Cycles of Artistic Creativity by David Galenson looks at the question of creativity in the arts and how it correlates to age.
In this book, the author uses his financial
analysis background to look at these two sides of art. He uses some interesting
concepts and theories (often based on selling prices of artists, appearances in
art textbooks, etc.), but even when you may disagree with his ideas, it does
make you look at some of these artists in a different way.
To simplify greatly, he essentially divides the work of
artists into two camps: The exploratory, experimental workers (those who focus
on technique and continual growth to convey their vision), and the conceptual
artists, for whom the communication of ideas comes first, and the means of
delivery secondary.
Many of his ideas are data-driven, and he makes a good case
(although we may feel, intuitively that "it's not what art should be about
or judged by"), but it is undeniably a new way of looking at things.
Some artists discussed had profound effects on the
development of art while remaining virtually unknown to most of us (Paul
Serusier's "The Talisman"), or well known (Meret Oppenheim, whose
fur-covered cup and saucer "Luncheon in Fur" was a key seminal work
for the surrealists, yet basically the only work she is known for).
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Paul Sérusier "Le Talisman" 1888, Oil
Musée d'Orsay, Paris, France ©photo musée d'Orsay
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He contrasts with artists such as Monet, Calder, Cezanne,
etc. who spent years developing their own vision and theories, each work an
attempt to meet their goal. In the end, he concludes that creativity is not the
province of the young or old exclusively, although there may be pitfalls for
both groups.
If you get a chance to look at this (and it's in the QCC
library), it would be an interesting topic for discussion).
