The information age and the impact on art

People watch screens so much these days: computers at work, smart phones, massive plasma televisions at home and computer games. I wonder if all this excessive visual stimulation is impacting on the visual arts. It occurred to me that the impact of an oil painting one hundred years ago when there were no screens may have been greater than today when were are constantly bombarded with images. Just a thought...

Art Explorer

Some useful art resources and weblinks

I thought it would be good to share some of the resources that I have found useful as I have searched the internet for art.

Some helpful art websites are

www.artweblinks.com
www.art-search.com

And I thought I should also provide some weblinks to my favourite artist websites on the internet.

www.laramellon.co.za
www.geraldhach.ch 
www.peterschipperheyn.com
www.brucebellman.com.au

I hope you find these websites useful and enjoyable.

Art Explorer

My article about art directories

I have published a short article with my thoughts on art directories and search engine optimisation at www.internationalartdirectory.com

What will be the role of commercial art galleries if the internet continues to change the art world?

Following up from my previous post about a possible new artistic era. My next question is what will be the role of commercial art galleries in the internet art era?

It seems to me that the role of commercial galleries will significantly change. It is possible that less people will go to commercial galleries to find artists when they know that they can search online and find the art that they are interested to see. Because many artists have their own websites it is easy to contact an artist directly. When I find an artist that I like on a gallery website I will usually do a search for the artist and visit the artist’s website.  Many artists also use art directories making it easy to locate them and see their work. Many people that buy art like to deal with the artist directly because this gives a real sense of what their art is all about.

There are several aspects that are in the favour of commercial galleries. The fact that it is much more of an experience seeing a work of art in real life. The impact is much greater than looking at a computer screen. Most people like to see a work before they purchase it and a gallery provides a great place for this to occur. The biggest factor is that selling art is difficult and many artists find the business side very difficult. Perhaps the creative artistic mind and the business mind are not naturally compatible for most people. Or it may be that it is difficult to sell something that means a lot to you.

It can’t be denied that there is a change happening and that this change is directly related to the arrival of the internet.

A possible new artistic era?

It is an interesting question that I have been pondering for several years. We are living in a time where most artists around our world have the ability show their art globally using the internet. This has been an amazing shift from previous times when many artists struggled against isolation and obscurity. The online environment has made it possible for artists, whether established or not, to find an audience far beyond their local community.

As an art enthusiast I have found this change exciting. I have always enjoyed walking around galleries small and large and often I find myself searching for new artists that have an ability to capture something special. The internet has provided a new forum where each turn can astonish an art enthusiast. My question is: has this new world wide art network brought about a new artistic era? Will this change the world of art forever?

It seems to me that the answer is yes! Simply because the artist can find the audience and the audience can find the artist. In my time exploring the internet I have found many fantastic artists that I would never have found in a previous era. Also having access to art directories has made it easier to find artists all over the world. It is clear we are living in an exciting time; a time when the world of art will be changed forever.

Art Explorer