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Well, that is a matter of opinion. Picasso's early works are certainly realist/academic in style and technique but nobody gets excited about them. Like I say,

by theoh 8y ago

Well, that is a matter of opinion. Picasso's early works are certainly realist/academic in style and technique but nobody gets excited about them. Like I say, this is opinion, but as in architecture, where there is definitely no good classical building happening today, there is no credible 'old master" painting happening now. Even the whole category of figurative art is in question in the same way that ornament in architecture is effectively dead. There are still people who can carve classical architectural ornament but as a creative tradition, it's over. I'd reiterate that the division of labour and the role of the artist means there isn't really any access to the "old master" position any more. Being an artist since about 1900 has been about ego/charisma, a largely self-selected group rather than talents discovered in obscurity and then elevated to greatness by patrons. The art business is structurally similar to how it was, in the sense that it still runs on patronage and prestige, but there is some kind of crisis in the formation of artists. Probably part of a wider loss of cultural direction and the general fact that there is now too much to know about the world and everything (paintings, careers) feels rushed. You still see flashes of intriguing visual ideas, sensitivity to colour, new combinations of different forms of art, but I don't think anyone would claim that even the best of today's art can compete with that from before modernisation took hold. It's a state of disenchantment that we can't wish away by going back to the old techniques.

nabla9 8y ago
I agree with you. I think the old artists came through the tradition of artisanship. Many were also what we would call engineers. Today art as a profession is the job of selling the person and the story. Real talent is often found in industrial design and advertising where the work is still more important than who made it.
lioeters 8y ago
I see, you were making a point about a bigger cultural and historical situation, while I was trying to find examples of artists who were/are (attempting to) keeping the old masters' techniques and the spirit alive. Along with Ernst Fuchs and Dali, I would place H. R. Giger in that line - not in terms of specific technique, but "the skills and ways of looking" of an artist, if not a master.. That's a mere trickle though, and certainly not a tradition anymore, just individual exceptions. I agree with your point that "Painting has deteriorated since the old masters." It rings true about the "crisis in the formation of artists", that in modern times, something essential has been lost in what it means to be an artist. The wider loss of cultural direction, the disenchantment - I wonder whether it's related to the loss of mythology and religion.

by theoh 8y ago

nabla9 8y ago

I agree with you. I think the old artists came through the tradition of artisanship. Many were also what we would call engineers. Today art as a profession is the job of selling the person and the story. Real talent is often found in industrial design and advertising where the work is still more important than who made it.

lioeters 8y ago

I see, you were making a point about a bigger cultural and historical situation, while I was trying to find examples of artists who were/are (attempting to) keeping the old masters' techniques and the spirit alive. Along with Ernst Fuchs and Dali, I would place H. R. Giger in that line - not in terms of specific technique, but "the skills and ways of looking" of an artist, if not a master.. That's a mere trickle though, and certainly not a tradition anymore, just individual exceptions. I agree with your point that "Painting has deteriorated since the old masters." It rings true about the "crisis in the formation of artists", that in modern times, something essential has been lost in what it means to be an artist. The wider loss of cultural direction, the disenchantment - I wonder whether it's related to the loss of mythology and religion.