Idea No. 7 Narrative & Idea No. 53 Authenticity

Idea No. 7 Narrative

Our book presents the idea of narrative as stories embedded in art that communicate and message or value. It shows examples of telling stories of roman battles and biblical painting. Bird explains that sometimes storytelling in art is sequential and sometimes artists choose to present events out of order, however the viewer is still able to understands the meaning of the story. 

I take storytelling in art to be a bit more general of an idea. In fact, I think that any art in which the viewer is interpreting a meaning is a form of narrative. After all, this art communicates a message and value just as Bird suggested. People are inundated with so much visual material through art, movies, commercials, etc. These images all become part of our collective visual understanding and can be used in art to make quick associations and almost instantly communicate a story to the viewer. Banksy's work is a great example of this. 

Banksy image on West Bank barrier wall, Israel-Palestine.

Even when messages or narratives are very quickly understood we can see a story in the many layers of meaning created in a piece of art. I have been thinking about using 1950's advertisements in my artwork. Even just a reproduction of the style, poses and colors of 1950's ads are recognized by viewers and can quickly communicate a message about family values and a shift in society. 

Idea No. 53 Authenticity

Bird's description of authenticity in art was not what I was expecting. He discusses authenticity in terms of monetary value based on the the artist's reputation. When Raphael's Modonna of the Pinks was determined to be the real thing rather than a copy it's value increased enormously. Once again, Banksy's work actually serves as another interesting inspection of this idea. I would argue that Banksy's work is considered to be more valuable because it can not be authenticated. The mystic that Banksy has created surrounding his work is part of the appeal and therefore increases the value. Like Piero Manzoni's Artist's Shit Banksy pokes fun at the marketing of art. 

Though I find the marketing of art and the circumstances surrounding art authenticity to be interesting, I am really not sure how authenticity will personally affect my artwork. I appreciate the tongue-in-cheek way that some artists address these issue. Maybe someday my art will be worth millions of dollars and it will become a theme in my artwork. ;)