Why Are We Such Snobs?

Question:   Lessing’s essay discussed how most people would take an inferior sketch by Picasso over a superior landscape painting by an unknown artist. Why do we do this?


     After our discussions in class, I have concluded that we perform this snobbery for multiple reasons. One reason we might do this is for financial reasons. Obviously, the sketch by Picasso would be worth a lot more money than the landscape painting by an unknown artist if we were to try and sell it. This is unfortunate, but it is the way our society works. People will pay for big names. 
     
     Another reason people might prefer the Picasso sketch is for that reason exactly:  they prefer the big name. They want to own something made by such a famous artist, no matter how aesthetically pleasing it may be. They would probably pay big money to even have one of Picasso's socks, or some other random object that he owned. 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Autographed-Stihl-MS-660-Chainsaw-by-Sarah-Palin-/110981910198?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item19d7098eb6

^  For example, the link above leads to an ad on eBay, in which a chainsaw autographed by Sarah Palin is being sold for $570, which is clearly a ridiculous amount of money to pay for a signature on a chainsaw.

 

Can a Style of Art Be Forged?

Question: Is the act of painting in the style of another artist but with different content matter considered forgery?

After our discussions in class, I have concluded that the act of painting in the style of another artist but with different content matter is not considered forgery. The only way this would be considered forgery is if the content matter was the same. However, this act of painting in the style of another artist can be seen more as a tribute to the artist, just like a tribute band honors a famous band by playing their music. Painting in another artist's style just means that the artist appreciates the style, and finds it very aesthetically pleasing. For example, many people make pop art even though Andy Warhol was the creator of this type of art. 


http://www.popartists.com/

^ Above is a link to a website that displays pop art of many pop artists, including Andy Warhol.