Arshile Gorky: the Man, the Time, the Idea

by Harold Rosenberg

Excerpt via: Questia —the online library for research.

The Artist as Intellectual

By whatever measure one ranks the founders of contemporary American abstract art, Arshile Gorky has a place on the top row. In different ways, he influenced several who were to become most influential: de Kooning, Pollock, Rothko, Nakian. 

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Here is yet another term that is off and smacks of hucksterism.

What does affordable art mean? Cheap? Bargain basement stuff?

If we are discussing fine art, then it is clear to the motivated art patron that he doesn’t have to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to acquire a piece for his collection. This means the patron must do his due diligence so that he can discern fine art from cotton candy. In this way, the patron can acquire fine pieces at relatively reasonable costs from as yet unknown artists—who create art no less worthy than those made by famous artists. The artist sets the price for what the artwork is worth to him at time. Haggling is unnecessary as it demeans the acquisition.

One absurd rumor you are likely to hear over and over is that there are millions of artists, and by implication, who needs yet another one. In fact, art marketers and galleries would have you believe that artists are falling out of the trees and you cannot but bump into at least a dozen of them every time you go out and about.

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Where and how is an artist forged? You—the artist—must be able to answer this question succinctly and clearly for your own self. If not, don’t expect help from anyone else. You are the only one who can supply the answer to this fundamental question.

I don’t mean is an artist born or made. While you may be born an artist doesn’t mean you have discovered that being an artist is your dharma, or purpose in life. There are many distractions. 

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In today’s world, there is no universal agreement as to what is art; consequently, can confusion in defining the artist be far behind? Since the true artist is fully aware of the misconceptions about art that abound, he must stake his claim and avoid getting trampled in the rush to judgment called taste. 

One true artist recognizes another; it takes one to know one.

Art existed long before there were museums, galleries, and art historians. The birth of art, unencumbered by intellectual labeling and motives, was of the spirit and evolution is its teacher.