Art Matters

School can be boring. I know.

Many students feel this way. It’s normal, and you might think it’s the subjects that are boring––but you’d be wrong. Subjects like math, science, and literature are exciting! Really! It’s just a question of how they’re presented (sorry teachers). And, don’t be too quick to blame your teachers. They don’t have nearly as much control as you might think. Some students even think art is boring, and, even more frustrating, they feel it’s a useless subject. It always shocks me when I hear it, often on the first day.

Part of me wants to tell them, hey, give me a chance! I haven’t even started yet! I can make art tons of fun! Part of me wonders, "What did your first art teacher do to you?" But mostly, I can’t help notice the disconnect between what these students say, and how they look. Notice, they don’t look like this:

This is what people looked like before art. Before we ever started farming or building villages, we spent thousands of years hunting, gathering, and living in caves. Then something funny happened. We started drawing,

15,000 BC - Lascaux, France

and sculpting,

and (relatively) soon after, we started herding animals, harvesting wheat, and building houses and temples.

10,000-9,000 BC Göbekli Tepe, Turkey

Our prehistory is mysterious, and art gives us tantalizing clues about who we were, how we lived, and what we worshiped. And, it seems that art was the catalyst.

But that was then! It’s 2013 now!

So, art isn’t important today? But your clothes are, aren’t they?

And your shoes, and your hairstyles, and your mobile phones, and make-up, that’s crucial isn’t it!? How do you think all this got here? Everything around you that was made by people began as an art project - a drawing. 

This disregard for art is part of a larger trend, where people devalue art, because they don’t see the faces behind the work, or the thought that went into it. People have this crazy notion that art is impossibly hard to learn, but for those with “the gift” it’s as easy as breathing. They say, “Oh, I can’t draw. I’m not artistic.” But when they see someone draw they say, “Oh man, that’s really good! You’re really talented! I wish I could do that! Hey, can I keep that? Why not? It just took you a minute to make! How about five dollars?”

Both of these assumptions are wrong. Learning to draw isn’t impossible, anyone can learn it – there are blind people who draw and paint. It just takes time. Talent exists as with any skill, but it just speeds up the process. And no, just because an artist is skilled, it doesn’t mean it’s easy for them. That sketch you saw didn’t just take a minute to make. It took a lifetime of practice.

So let’s put a face to some of those products you love so much. Here’s Sir Jonathan Ives, lead designer for Apple.

He and his team designed the iMac, MacBook, iPod, iPhone, and iPad. He studied industrial design at Northumbria University, and in 2006 he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth for his design work. He’ll probably have more influence in your lives than your elected politicians.

Here’s Maj Isabelle Olsson, lead designer for the Google Glass (that she's wearing), which may eventually replace your mobile phones in the next ten years or so.

Here's Leonardo Fioravanti. He and his team at Ferrari designed the '68 Dino 206 GT, the 246 GT, the 365 Berlinetta Boxer, the 308 GTB, the 288 GTO, the Testarossa, and the F40.

Here’s Manolo Blahnik. A Czech, he’s the main reason high heel shoes still exist. He revived them in the 70’s.

Here’s Mary Quant, who invented the mini skirt.

Here’s William Steig (1907-2003), the children’s book author and illustrator who created Shrek. And here’s Josh West, the 3D modeler who (with a team) designed the modern version of Shrek we know and love today.

Here's Jay Shuster, a concept artist for Pixar. He designed the concepts for Wall-E and most if not all the cars in Pixar's Cars 1 & 2.

Jay Shuster's Blog

And here's Joakim Svarling, senior artist for the Angry Birds franchise:

Joakim's Twitter Account



All these people are artists who transformed the world, with a fulfilling career, and steady income. Still not convinced? Here are some other careers related to the arts. Not all these people are artists, but they still have to know it (hold tight, it’s a long list):

painter

muralist

mosaicist

print maker

cartoonist

political cartoonist

caricaturist

comics writer

comics artist penciler

comics artist inker

illustrator – book, children’s book, textbook, magazine, editorial, fashion, medical

concept artist – film & videogame designer: characters, vehicles, weapons, monsters, environments

court artist

police sketch artist

tattoo artist

sculptor

wax figure sculptor

traditional model maker

toy designer

jeweler

jewelry designer

dentist

plastic surgeon

taxidermist

curator

gallery director/owner

exhibition designer

conservator

art restorer

tour/museum guide

art critic

art historian

art dealer

art auctioneer

art consultant

artist’s agent

art teacher

art therapist

art publisher

art editor

art librarian

photographer

aerial photographer

fashion photographer

photojournalist

photo/dark room technician

photography editor

advertising illustrator

advertising photographer

sign painter

window decorator

advertising art director

advertising creative director

advertising commercial director

advertising copy writer

marketing researcher

graphic designer

logo designer

web designer

billboard designer

greeting card designer

computer graphics designer

design consultant

industrial designer - cars, trucks, planes, boats, trains, machines, tools, furniture, electronics, etc

theatrical director

playwright

actor

theatrical choreographer

theatrical set designer

lighting designer

theatrical background painter

costume designer

theatre critic

film maker/director

screenplay writer

film art director

film set designer

film storyboard artist

film background artist

film cinematographer

film sound engineer

film special effects technician

film editor

film critic

animator

animation director

digital modeler

architect

architectural illustrator

cartographer

landscape architect

urban planner

interior designer

interior decorator

wallpaper designer

fashion designer

milliner

fabric designer

fiber artist

tailor

fashion buyer

fashion editor

hair stylist

make-up artist

antique restorer

automobile specialty painter

upholsterer – car or other furniture

parade float designer/builder

crafts artisan

calligrapher

potter

basket weaver

weaver

woodcarver

blacksmith

carpenter – furniture, cabinets

stained glass designer

puppet maker

puppeteer

glass blower

florist

Studying art can lead to a successful career, if you’re willing to work hard and build a solid reputation.

Now, you may be thinking, "So what! I know I don’t want to do that!"

Well, fine, but remember you're still young. I didn't want to be a teacher when I was your age, but now I am, and I love it. And besides, art isn’t just about making a career, either. It's about developing into a better person - even if you never make art outside of school. Here's how, it takes you out of your comfort zone:

And, there's more. Here’s a Latin quote to consider:

Vita brevis, Ars longa.

It means life is short but art lasts. Ask yourself, how do you want to be remembered after you die? There are many ways to answer that, but not many will capture the hearts of others like art.

My final argument in this debate is in the art itself - the proof is in the pudding. Now I agree there are many bad and boring artworks out there. They even have museums for them. But, like searching for good music, there are masterpieces out there that'll knock your socks off - and there's something for every taste. A good art teacher should be like a disc jockey, showing as many of these as possible. So, here's a small sample.

Pieta, by Michelangelo

Mourning for Icarus, by Herbert Draper

Volga Boatmen, by Ilya Repin

Familia Llorando, by Eduardo Chicharro Agüera

All Saint's Day, by Emile Friant

Freedom Ride, by Jonathan Eastman Johnson

Boy with Crow, by Akseli Gallen-Kallela

Orphaned, by Nikolai Kasatkin

Falling Leaves, by Ivan Goryushkin-Sorokopudov

Bath Time, Valencia, by Joachim Sorolla

Falling Leaves, by Philip de Lazlo

Gustave Courtois in his Studio, by Pascal Dagnan-Bouveret

Illustration from Show Boat, by Frederic Gruger

Ballet at the Paris Opera, by Edgar Degas

Trapper in the Woods, by Clarence Gagnon

Thrust, by Frank Frazetta

Blythburg Estuary, by Roger Fry

Returning Home, by Ivan Kulikov

The Glade, by Frank Carmichael

Landscape at Collioure, by Andre Derain

Sail-In Two Movements, by Charles Demuth

sketch by Luke Kopycinski

print by Gihachiro Okuyama

Korea Town, by Sean Cheetham

All Played Out, by Mark Goodson

Self Portrait, by Kate

Speed Painting by Paul Chadeisson

Lady Sham Inspects the Damage, by Jeremy Geddes

Illustration by Jason Chan

Comic Cover by Mike Bierek

Avengers Comic Cover, by Marko Djurdjevic

Still not convinced? How about this?

Carved Pumpkin by Ray Villafane

Carved Book Sculpture by Guy Laramee

A Wire Tree Sculpture by Clive Maddison

Elephant Rock, in India

a suit of medieval jousting armor for a mouse, by Jeff De Boer

Giant Frying Pan, by Andrew Hankin, in Sydney Australia 

One photographer stands on magma for a shot, his shoes catch fire.

Another photographer risking his life for a good shot.

If none of these pictures excite you, or make you think, then there's something wrong with you, and I don't mean it as an insult. If none of these pictures make you feel anything, if they don't stick in your mind, if you don't enjoy any of them, then there really is something wrong with you, and you need to go back and look again. There's something you're not seeing.

I have a theory that when people deny the beauty, the drama, and love present in great art, it's a kind of personal prohibition - that this work "isn't for me". They've limited their taste based on the fear, "What will people think of me if I like this? How does this fit my image?"

To that, all I can say is life gets a lot more relaxing once you quit worrying about self image. You should work to be respected, and worry about earning respect - but when that respect hinges on superficialities, then you're going about it the wrong way. You're worrying over the opinions of fools. Stop.