How To Become an Art Expert - Career Advice for Artists: 8 Common Mistakes & How To Fix Them (3/8)

[@chrislethbridge1759]

As attending art school has become increasingly inaccessible and expensive for many people, the last couple of decades have seen the rise of the ‘DIY’ art school. Very small (sort of micro academies) often rooted in the studio system, they are reliant on peer mentoring, self generated gallery visits and artist talks. It will be interesting to see the extent to which these generate successful artists endorsed by the traditional art world.

[@Cixelated]

This method has existed for millinea at this point you have to remember that the school model existed as an academy before ours. Judging by how the academy is doing now should tell you something

[@Cixelated]

You should also clarify that this is the American art school model. Other countries are a lot more affordable

[@loriwakefield1]

I study art and have studied art my whole life either in museums or libraries , galleries and college.I think you also need to be cognitive of the world you are trying to reflect by having many varied real life experiences. History can show you technique but living life gives rise to your voice in the art world. thank you for another good topic

[@contemporaryartissue]

Absolutely! Very important comment/addition to this particular topic. Thank you for sharing!

[@khambrelgreen]

I appreciate the fact that you offer ways for people not attending art school to obtain success as an artist. I have always noticed discussions about art school and getting that piece of paper take on an importance. However, I'm an auto didactic. Often I've read books about people who made groundbreaking work and did not attend Art School for example: Paul Cézanne, Jasper Johns and Jean-Michel Basquiat. I constantly consume written materials that help me define and focus my own artistic vision. I have given away more art books to my local libraries and my own High School than most people probably have read in their lives. I have three bookshelves of art books that I still keep that are among my favourites. These tomes are my own classroom textbooks. People are often impressed by my ability to discuss art regarding the social aspects around particular artists, technological advances of art materials and general art history due to my insatiable hunger for knowledge as well as practical experience. Thank you for creating this video series. It is another helpful tool on the progression of my personal career as a painter. The important thing is just to enjoy what you're doing and I certainly do.

[@contemporaryartissue]

That's absolutely great to hear, thank you for sharing this. The pleasure is all mine. Continue to enjoy what you do to the fullest! My best regards from Belgium, Julien

[@khambrelgreen]

@@contemporaryartissue, and I wish you continuing success from the United States, Khambrel.

[@janetatuniquerawfoods2361]

Yes. In my university education… my art history study was a huge auditorium… and to this day remember how much I enjoyed the whole thing. Even with a highly demanding design course to go with it. We used an art history book by Jansen. This sounds like good fun… your collection.

[@craig6430]

In short, go to art school and/or study art history. Suggested books in description. Saved everyone an agonizing ten minutes.

[@lastdays9163]

Probably some of the most substantive content about how to becoming a monetized artist in the art world. Learning about art is really important to me and from my experience NOTHING compares to seeing works. You can read about the timeline of art history and that is critical to understanding the dialogue of art throughout history but seeing works is what transforms you as an artist. I have been caught off guard by being in the presence of work I never thought would move me. Seeing works in person also helps you grow in a direction that might influence your process. This series is turning out to be great. A video on how artist get discovered would fit into this series perfectly.

[@contemporaryartissue]

Very important comment, thank you for sharing this here. Yes, visiting art galleries and museums is crucial for your development as an artist. Art, or in particular painting, is much more than creating images, it is creating collectible objects. You can only learn by seeing or experiencing these objects in real life. Thank you so much for the kind words, and a great suggestion we might work with in the future!

[@xsw234100]

At the university, you will learn the standardized academia, almost reduced to a comical script of the practices through time; which is not a bad thing but far from guaranteeing you an encompassing outlook on art and art making. One has to understand the "art world" is layered into many folds, making the work, marketing the work and then selling it. Unfortunately, so many gifted artist are not cut out to be good at their craft, and doing the rep and translating this into cash.

[@jxniorthecreator1039]

I found your channel yesterday and I have been binge watching your videos and everything you have to say is really helpful. I think I will get my breakthrough in my art career because if your tips. I thank you

[@contemporaryartissue]

That's wonderful to hear! Thank you for watching our videos and wishing you all the best for your career. Many more helpful videos are coming up soon :-)

[@MisterWondrous]

I ordered and am loving on most of the great books you recommended and will be getting the others as well. Your gentle voice and demeanor is most inviting. Long may your work thrive!

[@vedros6822]

I agree and disagree that art history is crucial for artist, it's a personal preference. Art history is for historians and theoretical fields. General history and basic art history is enough for artists to understand and place proper time frames of events. Real gems for artists are artist biographies, letters, notes and manifestos they left them self. That's where you have to dig deep. Cheers

[@Bwahzehdezooner]

One very minor suggestion in English usage: "present you" is incorrect. Simply "present....something". The verb is never used with an indirect object, as it is in French, for example. One may say "present to you", but even that is awkward. Just say "I will present this subject to you", etc. Cheers

[@contemporaryartissue]

Dear Andy, thank you so much for the constructive feedback. I have taken note for future videos. Have a great day, cheers!

[@Bwahzehdezooner]

@@contemporaryartissue you're welcome. Your programme is very useful and well done.

[@anastasiashelukhina3456]

Надо же, какой полезный канал! Так много информации бесплатной. А наши всё только воду льют и рекламируют себя. И, кстати, некоторые «специ» берут отсюда тексты, переводят и выдают за свои, смешные такие)))

[@davidhogan621]

Once there were men and women who travelled to the other places, to the world of the shades and dead, to Fairyland along the middle path. Even to the worlds of the gods, to bring back the knowledge to teach and heal their communities. Those born with a deep connection to the natural world around them, who could talk to the spirits of nature. Who could talk with the creatures, the wind and fire. These are the special people with many names, the wizards, the wise people, the witch doctors and the shamans. The “Magical Arts” of song, dance, pictures, carvings and story telling were the mediums and methods they developed to transmit their knowledge and healing. All the arts originally resided with them. Now they are debased and used to create trophies for rich people.

[@olafsager6056]

Yes, so it is of course. You have to care about art more than about people. You have to ask yourself if you will share your life with art instead with friends. As well you have to realize that you never will find a better expert for your live than yourself. Forget about any university meanwhile the most common source in our world is diversity. Do not forget that the pulse who is most near to you is your own pulse. Try to describe your own position very careful and create a atmosphere of pleasure and serene instead of this noisy artworld. First of all any art has a very privat character, only afterwards will it enter the public space. Its the same with any love. It devellopes in a hidden space and first after it has folded out, will it be mentioned in the media, not before. But then it's too late to see the real love, the real art. It's only the disguise of some who wants to get rich, forgetting that richness can be found everywhere. In a certain way art is a dead thing, the remaining traces of any person who had hold something in his warm hands and handled it with passion, what growing cold now and has solidified. It's obvious that we need sometimes this cold in order to have a counterpart to our own heat.

[@cliffdariff74]

The book titled the Shock of the New by Robert Hughes is a great book covering 1880 to 1980... there is also a series of 12 videos I believe that goes with the book

[@contemporaryartissue]

Excellent recommendation, thank you very much. Will definetly look for those videos as well. And thank you for tuning in!

[@Johniwhite]

@@contemporaryartissue I read most of Shock of the New. A struggle. I find Hughes like John Ruskin: "Most people don't understand what Ruskin is saying but they love the way he says it."

[@reubenlaurente6619]

Thank you for these learnings.

[@contemporaryartissue]

The pleasure is all mine, thank you for tuning in!

[@parimahavani]

Thanks so much your videos are career-changing and amazingly helpful and each of them says a lot and I am following each step but I have questions about books! these I had already read! could writing or having a video about which books after 1990 till today help us understand more contemporary languages of art galleries and artists? because after 1990 till today I do not which are the best! or indicate on your website where can be found about them?

[@contemporaryartissue]

Dear Pariah avani, thank you so much for your kind words and for an excellent comment. I have mentioned some great ways to discover the right books for you discussing art from 1990 to today in our article on how to become a successful self-taught artist during chapter two (self-education): www.contemporaryartissue.com/how-to-become-a-successful-self-taught-artist-in-6-steps/ Enjoy!

[@parimahavani]

@@contemporaryartissue Thanks so much it is a truly great and helpful article!

[@Sharperthanu1]

I don't agree that an artist has to have a knowledge of art history to becomes a successful artist.For instance Jean Michelle Basquiat became a wealthy successful artist and he was an untrained artist.He was only about nineteen when he became a famous graffiti artist in N.Y.C..Also Banksy became a wealthy famous graffiti artist in the U.K. by just making sure that his work stood out from the other graffiti artists. I don't know if Banksy is a trained artist or not but he calls his artwork "rubbish." However his artwork is famous so 8t sells for a lot of money to investors.

[@lastdays9163]

Basquiat had a huge internal reference for history in general, he spoke three languages, lived in several countries and read a lot. The work looks effortless but he developed an iconography from childhood that was rooted in social political dialogue, racial history and art history. One of his main themes and motivations was that black people weren't part of the art world and art history. Basquiat was best friends with George Condo who had a formal academic training in music. He was surrounded by artist that eventually became influential in their own right. All these people would have discussed, writers, poets, musicians and art amongst each other. Basquiat was not an ignorant one dimensional person who just happened to become a "famous rich artist". As for Banksy, you don't make potent political statements without knowledge and understanding of the themes you're exploring. Being a graffiti artist doesn't mean you don't have a sophisticated understanding of art.

[@lastdays9163]

@Van Brighouse my comment was directed at the idea that Basquiat had no historical knowledge of art, which is not true. The iconography is symbolic of his historical references on closer examination. It's easy to dismiss artist that get elevated into so called "mega artist" as simply creating pop culture fodder. I would argue, because the work becomes relatable on mass, that unto itself is testimony to the sincerity of the work despite the ease of it. Jeff Koons is an example of an artist who gets panned for lacking dimension but if you understand the timeline of his life and overlap it with his series, there's more understanding to be had. At the time he started making the giant balloon dogs was the exact time his son was abducted. Those balloon dogs have become part of a popular culture lexicon but for all their brightness they have the underlying emotion of searching and broadcasting a message of hope or longing to someone in some unknown place. In my opinion and experience, sometimes the intention of the work gets imbedded in it and that also resonates through it, no matter how simple, "woke" or essential the work is.

[@contemporaryartissue]

Dear Adrienne, thank you for tuning in and for your comment. There are always exceptions - although there is a lot to say about Basquiat in this case to be honest - but in general, this is a very important aspect.

[@neimyx1]

Basquiat wasn’t trained at a formal institution, but he definitely had knowledge of art history. His parents exposed him to art history as a child

[@gavinreid2741]

Basquiat painted at least 2 portraits of Picasso, his painting Boone is a version of the Mona Lisa. His 1983 work Matisse Matisse Matisse references the work of Matisse. Basquiat also drew heavily from the book Leonardo da Vinci published in 1966.for works such as Leonardo de Vinci s Greatest Hits.1982.

[@hexheadrum1302]

Amazing channel and content. What place do you think AI art will have in the art world? As a graphic designer I’ve recently stumbled across this expression and technology and an artist mind is still required to produce compelling ideas through this medium.

[@contemporaryartissue]

Very interesting question, a question I am still struggling with. AI already has a place in the art world to be fair, and it will continue to play an increasing role in the future for sure. However, it will never replace the inexplicable value of a human touch with a metaphysical weight, or to feel actual personal trauma in a depicted narrative or image.

[@hexheadrum1302]

​@@contemporaryartissue Beautifully said. May that still remain true for artists that produce their work with the hands of others, such as a Jeff Koons and alike?

[@SJ72BE]

I agree that to become an expert is to study a subject. I disagree successful artists need what you say they need. Successful artists need a creative mind and a lot of gutts. Become an expert and it will limit you in your creativity The 5 most valuable artists have not what you say they need to have. Who is?

[@contemporaryartissue]

Why not be an expert or simply have a good frame of reference when it comes to art, a creative mind and a lot of gutts?

[@SJ72BE]

And you are an artist as well with a lot of knowledge, but are you a successful artist to galleries other than your own?

[@contemporaryartissue]

I love a critical question, however, I feel you are aiming to answer the question yourself. The answer is I am doing quit well to be honest. I have two solo shows at very good galleries coming up this year, one in Antwerp and one in Paris. The past few years I've had a decent amount of invitations and sales are doing well too. And yes, this is the result of this knowledge of the art world. Further, I don't represent myself with CAI Gallery. That's somewhat a role conflict. I did showcase some work with a very personal show when I opened the gallery space in Kortrijk - my birth town - as a symbolic statement. Ever since, I have never used this platform to promote myself as an artist. It wouldn't feel right.

[@mevlidasofic9131]

❤ 3:01

[@whoistroythomas]

I have a favor to ask that is not related to contemporary art. Can you please add some different edits to the videos when you are on screen for a long time? It is very distracting seeing the same edit of cutting to a wide shot and slowly zooming in before cutting to a wide shot again for the next thought and zooming in again. The extra movement of the camera, like it was constantly getting bumped or something, was even more distracting for this video. I don't know if it is as annoying to other people, but it is getting to the point that I may stop watching your videos if the same edits continue. While I agree that it could get boring to keep a static shot for the whole time that you are on camera, not every clip has to have movement, let alone the same movement repeated over and over again. Consider experimenting with a few more edits. Mix it up a little bit, but don't go overboard. Think about adding more b-roll content while you are talking. Most of all, please don't take offense to my suggestions. I watch your videos as an artist to learn more about art, but I also have a background in TV and video production. I want to keep coming back to watch you video, so I hope you at least think about some of the suggestions that I have given you. Thanks!

[@contemporaryartissue]

Hi Thomas, I read your comment a few weeks ago but only today I have found the time to actually respond to the comments of the past month. Thank you so much for the constructive feedback, you are absolutely right. I have followed your advice with our most recent videos and the result is much better. So thanks! Thank you for tuning in and best wishes from Belgium. All my best, Julien

[@saharte2812]

You need a bit of a contemporary art course yourself. Your book recommendations are very western oriented and that’s the very core issue with the art world and education. You should diversify the books you recommend to include the “non westerns”. If you know about todays topics of art, you would have approached this very differently. I’d say these series of videos are for someone from the 50s and won’t work for todays art world. There is no formula anymore for succeeding. Formula is: be yourself and do your way and that will be recognized by sharp eyes 👀

[@doingitdavy1507]

as a lover of Asian Art , I fully agree.

[@contemporaryartissue]

Hi Sahar Te, I agree. The book recommendations are very western-oriented. That's because the canon of art history is very western-oriented. When it comes to contemporary art, we indeed live in a more globalized art world, and the book recommendations for contemporary art also include non-western development in contemporary art. To conclude, you state there is no formula for success as an artist just to be yourself. The funny thing is this was exactly the topic of the first video of this series, so feel free to watch it.

[@CC2art]

A message to all artists out there; Produce more art than u can, believe in yourself-stay focus-and don’t let nobody to tell you if you are good or not.What is a curator anyway?Nobody knows what is hidden inside an artist’s soul.Who are these people to curate? Art does not need curators.It’s like God wants to be curated..That’s horse…At the end of the day rent a space ,alone or with some other artists and spread your thoughts and your arts . There are no rules to success. If there were ,everybody could follow the success road of the gold rules.. If your art is strong then might survive to the art world. Only one rule is true:Believe in yourself when you don’t believe in your self. Ch2_artist

[@gavinreid2741]

I recommend looking at the book reading lists provided by Art History courses for potential students. One book a recommend is A World History of Art , by Hugh Honour and John Fleming.

[@saharte2812]

@@contemporaryartissue that has changed and is no longer a valid argument :)

[@raphaelna1]

But Picasso changed his style up often.

[@jamiek4421]

Why are you saying “his” in reference to “an artist”?

[@contemporaryartissue]

Very good point! I aim to include both pronouns at all times, but sometimes I forget to say both when speaking and say his relating to my own sex. A working point indeed (and hopefully no lingering sexism...). In any case, thank you for tuning in!

[@lunita6972]

Thank you, thank you!! I am a former scientist so academic literature doesn’t scare me🙂. I looove to learn and I loove art. I want to study, cause I collect degrees…😅😂🤣 ( it’s just a joke). Since I am a regular mom I don’t think I’d become an expert in Art but I’d definitely would like to have better knowledge about contemporary art. Thanks for all your suggestions!! By the way beautiful place you are…I miss my Tuscan fields too. I hope one day I can go back…

[@contemporaryartissue]

Sounds terrific! The pleasure is all mine, thank you for tuning in. Yes, Tuscany is a magical place. Next year, we'll travel to Umbria, I believe it's even more beautiful.

[@leststoner]

Wait so you're saying for me to learn about art is to learn about art? Wow amazing.

[@nilsperahia5792]

Certes, il s'agit d'écoute, mais la caméra qui tremble, ce n'est pas fou.

[@shwafaty]

before, one must make a course "how to become a basic good filmaker (not necessarily an expert)" hahah ... great landscape, bad light on the subject

[@whatifyouandi]

No

[@shayculligan7182]

It is curious that nowhere in this tutorial does it mention to develop one's technical ability as an artist, including core studies in drawing, composition, and color. No wonder the high end of the visual art world is populated by such mediocrity as Hirst, Emin, Katz, Hockney, Scully, and Koons. In a way I have to blame naive and stupid wealthy collectors who are so easily roped into paying for such garbage.

[@contemporaryartissue]

This video discusses only a fragment of becoming an artist. Feel free to read our more extensive takes on becoming a successful artist on our website contemporaryartissue.com

[@decaxo]

bullshhhh

[@itsjustchristina7796]

Ty 😊

[@contemporaryartissue]

The pleasure is all mine!