Trouble is, the Intentional Fallacy applies. Just because I have an art intention doesn't assure that what I do conveys that intention, even if it is necessary to me. Ditto for anyone who sees it. It finally rests on the authority of someone with instutional artworld authority to show how the bathroom painting job engages a timely artworld dialogue. And there's the rub since it just comes down to a power game per Foucault, etc.
There are some blurry cases. Bacon's studio for instance is a regarded as a museum artwork. Same for a studio wall Pollock painted one night in his usual drunken rage. Hans Hofmann painted his Provinctown house floors bright yellow. If they're still there they are surely worth artwork bucks. And what's Monet's garden worth? And what about Whistler and his famous room decorations? And Matisse. Picasso...the list is long. Maybe we should just forget about art altogether. It would still be made under some other term I suppose but maybe it'd become a whole lot cheaper, like newly painted bathroom walls...and the gallerists would be opening hardware and paint stores. And the critics would.....what? Take showers! WC --- "Burton, Kathryn" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > I think it's all about intention. Are you painting > the bathroom to tell a > story or as a social/cultural commentary (as your > "real" paintings might)? > Perhaps the best way around this is that once you've > finished with the project > you invite your gallery reps and your "A" list of > admirers, art collectors, > etc. into the bathroom, and have your wine and > cheese in there! Who knows, > maybe you'll get someone to subsidize your work! > Moving on to the kitchen, the > hall. . . > > KB > > > -----Original Message----- > From: William Conger [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > Sent: Sat 4/12/2008 10:35 AM > To: [email protected] > Subject: when does art happen? > > As I blab on this list I'm also painting a bathroom. > The materials cost me about $100, almost the same as > for making a modest-sized painting. My paintings > are > priced, following the tradition, more or less by the > square inch, with allowances for this and that. I'm > not a minimalist, all-overist but that's how I'm > doing > the bathroom -- one color for walls, another for > woodwork, without brushmarks, textures, flourishes. > So if this were a painting, and allowing for the > differences between it and my "signature style" > (another dumb notion of gallerists) and established > prices for my usual size work, my bathroom "piece" > should be worth a ton of money, at least a new Honda > or some such. But I'm afraid it's not worth even > half > of what a drunken decorator would charge because I'm > not a bonded decorator and my wife says I drip > paint. > But this bathroom painting is taking a lot of my > energy and thought -- all the same musings I have in > my studio, etc., as I dip my brush into the gallon > of > Benjamin Moore Super duper semi-gloss. So in my > mind > I'm the same person painting a bathroom as I am > painting a canvas in my studio. So am I doing a work > of art or no? Is the difference merely one of > social > category, unidentifiable aesthetic experience, my > intentionality, what? > > Damit, when I'm done with this job I'll simply say > it's worth twenty grand and then have a fat glass of > wine. Am I wrong? > > WC
