Art School Confidential: a review

Hollywood Bitchslap ^ | 5/14/06 | William Goss

[Republicanprofessor]

I went to see this movie yesterday and I found it incredibly depressing. It is depressing because it may be a somewhat accurate portrayal as far as art schools go, and the values in it are dismal.

There is nothing about truth or beauty in it. It is all about scams in the art world, and superficial values at best.

I went to two graduate schools in art, although only one in the fine arts. I also teach art history and painting and drawing. So was I supposed to identify wiht the John Malkovich or with the Angelica Houston characters? The fact that the teachers tolerated such nonsense out of their students' mouths was depressing.

FR poster Sam Cree has always maintained that that art schools don't teach the basics anymore. I've always resisted that belief, because we do teach the basics at my college; and then we encourage students to find their own personal form and content.

But I guess I am in the minority.

What a depressing film.

[Republicanprofessor]

Art ping.

Let Sam Cree, Woofie, or me know if you want on or off this ping list.

Or if you think this movie is as depressing as I do. Black comedy, I guess. Certainly some laughs in the beginning....but then it just fell apart.

I guess I take things far too seriously. But since art is my career and life, I do take it seriously....more seriously than those bozos in the movie.

[Republicanprofessor]

I'm pinging the college education ping list too.

This is more about art school, but is college level, and maybe this same kind of *^#( goes on in other departments (but I sure hope not).

Let JamesP81, Jalisco555, or me know if you want on or off this ping list.

[Darkwolf377]

My friend who went to RISD will vouch for what your friend says. Oddly enough, back when he went @20 years ago, he says they didn't teach enough about how to present your material--not the scams in your review, but how to get good work into galleries, get jobs, etc. Now he claims they've gone in the opposite direction.

I also know several selling artists. Their stuff is pure garbage. If you, like me, talk about beauty in art you will get eye-rolls and someone will say the word "Bush" within the minute.

[SteveH]

I considered seeing this movie but rented Ghost World instead. My nutshell review of Ghost World is that it's too long and unfocused for the meager content it delivers. Above that,
I found it to be a rather dark and depressing movie despite the humor and satire. It did not motivate me to see Art School Confidential.

[martin_fierro]

Wonder how ol' Bob Ross would've fared in such a place.

[maine-iac7]

I also know several selling artists. Their stuff is pure garbage.

Way back when I was young, I was accepted to the Chicago ARt Institute, but money/family restrictions kept me from going.

I remember one painting then, about 6'x 5', a canvas divided in half, on a diagonal, with one half all white, the other all yellow. The price tag was $5,000 (in the 50's) and the title was "Untitled # 16". Even the artist didn't know what it was - ;o)

As a representative (primarily portrait) artist, I was out of the mainstream - and I could never learn to paint bad enough to be 'in'.

I was fortunate to live for some years in the Berkshires and had some top nationally known artists to study under = with contact and invaluable critiquing from such as Norman Rockwell, Norman Kent and Robert Brackman.

We used to show in local shows, but our watchword was " If one of your paintings wins a prize, you need to study what's wrong with it!" ;o) We showed simply for the public exposure.

One year in particular, I remember, the first prize went to a purple mess titled "Purple Spaghetti" - now how do you compete with that? ;o)

[Republicanprofessor]

Or Munch himself....

Thanks for the chuckle...

[Darkwolf377]

the title was "Untitled # 16". Even the artist didn't know what it was - ;o)

We could go on about this stuff all day. I recall the 60 Minutes segment on Baquiat, which showed all kinds of art being bought in NYC--a pile of ping-pong balls, for example.

Contemporary art is so far away from communicating to the mainstream public, and the artists DO NOT CARE. ALL the art you see is political in nature, ALL of it hard-left, or it's about someone's menstruation cycle or other garbage like that.

On the other end you have illustration, which is really dying. Each year I pick up the annual Spectrum book of science fiction-themed illustration because there are always a few good pieces in it, but 99% of it is rip-off Frazetta stuff, or CGI futuristic crap with giant weapons.

Art in this country has been so politicized because of the politics of the art school teachers--it can only be combative, or it can be like "Purple Spaghetti"--if you look at it funny you are told you "just don't get it," but I DO get it, it's lazy Pollock rip-off stuff which follows the only aim of artists these days--to shock.

I am lucky to live near Boston's Museum of Fine Arts, where I can still go and look at some beautiful things. I am hugely inspired by art (I write fiction, nothing you'd know though I've sold six pieces of short fiction so far this year) and grab every art book or art website I can for inspiration. It's too bad so much of that inspiration is not from current work.

[Blind Eye Jones]

Are the artists attempting to go so far to the Left that they will come out on the Right -- like going so far to the west the you will end up in the east? It's the nature of the beast to push things to the limits. These may be experiments rather than commitments.

[Darkwolf377]

I haven't seen much eveidence of that. They aren't posing new questions or proposing new ideas, merely illustrating the old bad ones.

[TradicalRC]

If you ever head north a ways to Andover, Ma., the Currier Gallery has some interesting pieces, not to mention the Fogg over in Cambridge.

[TradicalRC]

The Art school I went to had a Great foundational program, unfortunately, they are now defunct.

[turbocat]

I agree with so much of what is said here... and so wish I had hopped on the art ping list sooner!

As a college art major from the early seventies, I am so impassioned by great art, new or classic. And I currently have gotten back into painting myself (as a graphic designer, as we sure couldn't major in Painting, or how could we earn a living??? [no regrets])and now finally am in a gallery.

But recently went to the Met and MOMA in NYC, and gee I have to agree that so much of the new stuff (MOMA or Internet or galleries) is not art in my book. I'm glad it's not just me.

[Republicanprofessor]

The Currier Gallery is actually in Manchester NH, and it is a very nice little museum. One can also visit Frank Lloyd Wright's Zimmerman House through the Currier. It is one of his Usonian houses and is quite fun to visit.

The Fogg is also nice. Also in Mass, but on the western end, is the Sterling and Frances Clark Art Institute which has a fabulous collection (Homer, Sargent, Renoir, Monet, etc., etc.).

If you are in Williamstown to see the Clark, it's only a hop skip and jump to Mass MoCA in North Adams, where you can see contemporary drivel. :)

[retrokitten]

I don't know if you are on the art ping list or not, but pinging you to an interesting discussion on the crap that's called art these days anyway. :-)

[Darkwolf377]

Thanks, will check out the Fogg.

[Darkwolf377]

Thanks, will check out the Fogg.

[Ditter]

I saw this movie, and while I liked it, thought it was funny and true in a lot of respects, the end was so sad. The kid wanted to be a successful artist so badly that we was willing to submit to being the strangler without a whimper. Or he felt so guilty that he had caused the fire that killed all the people that he allowed himself to be punished. I don't know which of those it could be.

I attended art school and in the beginning we certainly were taught how to draw, paint, color theory etc. As we progressed, the instruction ceased and we were expected and encouraged to 'get weird'.

I remember I decided I had been there too long when the class was taken on a field trip to a gallery to see a young artist work. Her work consisted of dead tree branches that held up rubber chickens hug by string. I did not enroll the following semester.

I have continued to paint and I try to do at least one workshop a year with an artist whose work I admire.

[TradicalRC]

Quite right. I was thinking of the Addison Gallery in Andover. Been to the Currier as well. Strange collection: obscure paintings by famous artists.
Been to the Sterling as well. I like their Bouguereau and one of the few Renoirs that I can stand.