You hear it so often: ,art is beautiful and kitsch is ordinary,, where the so-called art experts determine what is art and what is not. Yet there are also more and more people who go for what someone experiences as beautiful and then the boundary between what is art and what is kitsch is suddenly a lot less concrete. In short… why do we go for “official” art and not kitsch, even if we like it.
What is what?
To determine what is art and what is kitsch, it is good to look at what the official definitions are according to the various (online) dictionaries.
Art
According to the dictionary, art is: “Artistic skill or expression.” and “A subjective expression of a human being that either expresses the imagination or feelings of the artist in a creative activity or is a creation that evokes a feeling or imagination in the observer for the purpose of producing an original, sensory (or otherwise) imaginable) expression or product with a certain feeling.”
A mouthful and very body is what it immediately refutes, the expression that art cannot be defined, because it is constantly in motion due to sociological, psychological and historical aspects. Well, that doesn’t make it any clearer.
Kitsch
According to the dictionary, kitsch is: “Fake art that does not catch on with many decorations and/or the wrong materials that many people think is in bad taste.” and Cliché art, imitation art or trinkets.”
However, the definition that it is something without value e immediately explains that there is a big difference and that is often taken as an approach. Art can make money and kitsch cannot, but it is and remains very personal. Many people who are involved in art do this for financial reasons, for example because sales yield more than the return at the bank.
Who decides?
Then comes the aspect that someone decides whether something is art or kitsch and that boundary often shifts. There are several artists who nowadays earn millions, but in the early days were classified as non-art or kitsch. Has the non-art of that time suddenly become art now, just because more people have started to like it and it therefore generates more money? A strange way to determine whether something is art and yet it carries weight.
Isn’t craftsmanship art?
Items from the past are often put in the art corner, because the craftsmanship is what is on display. It now yields a lot of money and that may also have to do with the unique aspect of an item and that is legitimate. However, mere craftsmanship is not or should not be a consideration. There are now so many people who are very skilled, which does not make them artists, or is absolute craftsmanship precisely the consideration for elevating something to art?
Here we ignore the man or woman who recreates something perfectly with a certain material. The material is handled well, in great detail and with respect for the material. Yet there is little inherent in it and certainly no creativity. After all, something has been counterfeited.
The artist from the past is not always Rembrandt, because that man could do magic with paint. But doesn’t a man or woman who can make wood live again make an artist? A beautiful frame around a beautiful work of art often has less prestige. The question is whether it is justified.
Some figures
The so-called experts look at it differently than the man or woman on the street. Research (from 2012) shows that almost 80% of people who find something beautifully made, are happy with it and want to look at it regularly, experience it as art. Does that require a lot of money? For the respondents this is only to a limited extent. About 65% believe that something should be beautiful in their own perception and should be seen as leading and that it can be something extra if it also represents a financial value.
About 18% are only busy investing in art, but it is seen as making money rather than enjoying art, and about 35% think that is a shame. People think it is smarter to collect what you experience as beautiful and what has value. This way you combine things and if ever necessary, you can always sell works. About 27% are involved in this to a greater or lesser extent. Of which 2/3 are men.
Take distance
The difficult thing is that if you experience something as beautiful and also see it as an investment, the group that thinks it has difficulty distancing itself is relatively large. More than half of the people who combine beauty and investment have problems with this, it is thought.
Finally
It is and remains difficult to clearly define the boundary between art and criticism. Finding something beautiful and its value for the future are different things. Yet this does not apply to the man or woman who finds something beautiful, you experience it as beautiful, admirable and something to look at more often. Then it doesn’t matter whether it’s art or kitsch (at least if you can handle the pressure from the outside world)!