John Crowther

John Crowther

Critic
Hate It or Love It

Our tastes are formed in a plethora of ways; sometimes through rejection, sometimes through embrace, and always through the environments in which we grow up. Accordingly, I will dive into the new environment born from the internet and social media next week. One no longer needs the influence of fami...

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Art and Heartbreak

These expressions of misery and disappointment are cathartic for both the artist and the viewer. The artist finds an outlet for their angst, and the viewer discovers comradery. Both are motivated by the same things: the need to express something that transcends words, to find some measure of control...

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Why We Continue to Create

The role of the artist is to create, remain faithful to themselves, and, by doing so, establish an honest rapport with their audience. Comfort and validation can be tricky things to come by for an artist, but they pale in comparison to the sadness of ignoring one's creative impulses.

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A Defense of Conceptual Art

A toilet transforms into fine art because an artist recognizes its conceptual value and then creates that value by bestowing the hitherto utilitarian porcelain with a signature. Undoubtedly, it took Duchamp considerably less time to inscribe a signature than any other painting ever made, but how muc...

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The Trouble With Being an Artist: 50%

I know many artists who chafe under the unforgiving hand of the gallery system and many more who aspire to do the same. A dear friend, who will remain anonymous, has been represented by a gallery for three years, and it has yet to make a sale on his behalf. He sells every painting, but all his sales...

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The Trouble With Being an Artist: The Market

Next week, I will return with part four,

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The Trouble With Being an Artist: Value

If the gates of the art world were not so preciously guarded, Picasso's would go down in value (don't worry, they would still bring huge profits), but the surplus value would be ecumenically distributed between a far more expansive and diverse range of creative voices. Next week, I will return with...

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The Trouble With Being an Artist Part 1: Visibility

Next week, I will return with part two,

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Imitation or Inspiration?

At the end of the day, this is all subjective. What I think is derivative, someone else might think original. No art is going to be devoid of influence, so the question becomes, what else does it bring to the table? It does not matter how an artist finds their voice; it just matters if they have one...

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Breaking the Rules

This is all to say that the history of art is the history of change. Rigid tradition is arts greatest enemy, and every artist must remain faithful to their vision and no one elses for art to continue to flourish and evolve.

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