This is certainly part of Art History, although it doesn’t really have much to do with the professional, philosophical and profound aspect of art. After all Art is an academic subject one studies at university, right? Well, a lot of these artists said they did not need that, all they needed was some paint, a canvas and a couple of brushes. Would Engineers, Medical Doctors, Dentists, Lawyers and other professions say that amateurs pretending to be engineers, doctors, dentists and lawyers be the same as the ones that have suffered through 4 to 6 years of uni training?
And don’t get me wrong, I love Grandma Moses and Henri Rousseau. I don’t think much of some of the others, especially Frida Kahlo. You see, she is taken as an icon of women’s liberation, or feminism, but if you read her published diary and any other articles or books…very few…written about her, you will realise that she was definitely no feminist. She was a submissive woman who suffered gratuitously at the hands of an abusive husband and she still held him at the highest standard. That is not what a feminist believes and it is not how a feminist acts. So, especially if you are a fan of this artist, let me know what you think…
Well, here is my version of Naive Art. I do enjoy a lot of it…
Let me know what you think…
Cheers…
JaZzArt en València 
It doesn’t excite me too much I have to say.
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No, definitely not an exciting movement…thanks Malc.
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Although I have no want to suppress someone’s urge to express themselves, I do get to decide what I think of their efforts. And in these cases, I see exactly what you would expect to see. Amateur work with little or no underlying value other than self-gratification. As for Kahlo, I never understood the fanfare. Her writing is lackluster, and her art is mundane and childish. I am amazed she is referred to at all when it comes to art.
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Excellent journey this morning. I find most of the kinnergarden painters, sculpters, papier mache artists, metalsmiths, and so on who intentionally or because that’s the best they can do show me no talent depressing. One, they could probably have taken real jobs. Two, they have snookered idiots into fawning over their efforts, wasting money on their work, and mocking real talent.
I will suggest – I believe – there are «artists» who do not invest years in formal study, unless you consider their honest work at their craft, learning from mistakes. I have met truly talented people who simply have a creative gift. Savants? Okay, call them what you want. But they’re good the moment they squeeze a tube of paint, focus a lens, sing an aria, or design a piece of furniture.
Have a great one, Great One. And thanks for the adventure. Espie
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Thank you Espie, and I agree totally. There is no requirement for academic training, but there is a requirement called hard work. Talent is not something transmitted genetically, it is gained from practice, from hard work. A master violinist was not born, but made and they practice 12/14 hours a day to be able to perform at the professional level, whether they graduated from Julliard or from their basement or garage. The same with art. An artist can be «self-taught» (no one really is, we all learn from someone else or from something else) but they have to master their craft, learn it completely, then begin to develop their art, which can only be done with hours and hours of work. You are right, many mock professional artists by saying that anyone can be an artist. So, if you manage to remove a splinter from your hand, are you qualified to be a surgeon? Thank you and all the best my friend.
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To be a professional you usually need three things: formal training, recognition by a group of people, and nowadays a degree or a certificate. Talent definitely helps, particularly in the creative area-so does discipline and practice of whatever the craft is. I have seen academics with lots of degrees, but no real recognition or acknowledgment as well as people who are famous for not much. A lot of times, judgement/value is in the eyes of the beholder
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I can’t argue with that. The judgement is most assuredly in the eyes of the beholder but talent is the result of hard work. Also the beholder still has the right to judge. Art, like architecture, engineering, law et cetera et cetera, is an academic subject matter leading to a professional degree. It’s not a hobby or a pastime, although for many it is. Others base their life on it and make their living that way. An artist is not born, neither is a lawyer or a dentist. An artist makes his way into the profession, if that is what he seeks, by studying from a master or at an institution of artistic learning. No one is self-taught, we all learn from someone, but to be talented you have to practice ad nauseam until the cows come home or you won’t make it. One is not considered a doctor just because one has learned to bandage one’s finger if it’s cut. So one does not become an artist either because one paints something that perhaps others think is quite lovely. Professions must be respected. Naive art is art but of the poorest quality, to demonstrate that is why I made this video. Thanks Pat, big hug to you and all the best!
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As a librarian with 2 master’s degrees (one in library science), I have been repeatedly asked «You need a master’s degree to sit and read books all day?» I wish I had a job that would allow me to read books all day, but I also have to manage a multi-million dollar budget, oversee the computer system that allows you to search that book, find it on the shelf, and check it out/in,
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Absolutely! It’s the function of a professional, not an amateur. I’ve a great friend from Miami who also has a MS in Library Science and I know how she works and her requirements. That is why I say that the professions have to be recognised and respected, including the arts. All the best Pat, and enjoy the day!
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So I have decades of being sensitized by people that think that everyone that works in a library is a librarian. But they do not think that everyone that works in a hospital is a doctor or a nurse.
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That is so true…
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That’s why I developed my 3 requirements to be deemed a professional back in Graduate school. 🤓
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Good ones Pat, for sure.
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