Low-Tech Art in a High-Tech Age
When I was young, I knew I could draw. I didn’t have to try hard or take classes to realize I could create images using a pencil or a crayon — it just came to me. I obviously got better with practice, but I had the skill. My father did too, so it wasn’t surprising that I inherited the talent. I wasn’t the most skilled or creative artist and I didn’t turn my talent into a career but lately I’ve been wondering what good this talent will be for anyone in the years ahead. When I do have kids, I wonder if they will inherit this trait and whether it will even matter.
Today you don’t need to have drawing skills to be successful in art and design. You need to have computer skills, learn a few software packages and you can call yourself an artist or designer. Don’t get me wrong, you still need to be somewhat creative, but I suppose technology is beginning to play a bigger roll than artistic skills. Soon (if not already) we’ll see a day when a whole new breed of renowned artists and designers won’t even know how to use a pencil to draw, or a paintbrush to paint. If the art and design is good, will it really matter if it’s all computer generated and involved no traditional artistic skills or even direct creative input from humans? Probably not. That’s why, it’s so heartening to see modern art that is still centered largely around the skill of drawing, gain mainstream attention. Here are just two recent examples that caught my attention.
William Kentridge is a successful contemporary artist who creates mesmerizing animations using his charcoal drawings. An exhibition titled “William Kentridge: Five Themes” recently opened at the Museum of Modern in New York. It is a comprehensive overview of the artist’s career, featuring more than 100 works. The short animation titled Automatic Writing is a great example of his work.
The second is the animated film, The Secret of Kells, which received a surprise Oscar nomination for Best Animated Feature. Another great example of modern art that celebrates the retro craft of illustration. The film is a fantasy adventure that includes hand drawn, intricate illustrations to depict magical Celtic imagery. The film will be released theatrically in the US in March 2010.
Art, in any form, can be appreciated, but skill commands respect.
