Fallow Period of Painting Blamed on iPods
Beloved British artist, David Hockney, has noticed a fallow period of painting and he has placed the blame on the iPod.
Speaking on the eve of his 70th birthday, Britain’s best-loved living painter said the proliferation of iPods – Apple has sold more than 100 million worldwide – and other digital music players has combined with a decline in art education to create a “fallow period of painting”.
“We are not in a very visual age,” Hockney said. “I think it’s all about sound. People plug in their ears and don’t look much, whereas for me my eyes are the biggest pleasure.
“You notice that on buses. People don’t look out of the window; they are plugged in and listening to something.
“I think we are not in a very visual age and it’s producing badly dressed people. They have no interest in mass or line or things like that.”
I find it interesting that he blames a device whose design could be considered a work of visual art itself for the decline of art. Painting isn’t the only visual art there is and it seems myopic to blame an MP3 player on a medium that is messy, not portable, and could burn your house down.
What about what Pixar is doing? Thousands of paintings that move together and create a beautiful and witty story aren’t good enough for Hockney just because they aren’t in oil or acrylic?
It’s not the medium, it’s the message. Just because people are trading in their oils for pixels doesn’t mean it’s not art.
Bad form, Mr. Hockney, bad form.
Via: iPod blamed for stealing the thunder from contemporary art – Engadget
