Thought of the week..

What is 'Art'? What is it that makes something art? Who is it what decides whether or not something is allowed to be under that category of 'art' or not?...

Last week we looked at the famous British artist; Jack Vettriano. He is known for being one of the best selling artists in the UK, but surprisingly I found out that his work has never been featured in any well known art gallery in the country. Why?


The reason I found this hard to believe was the fact that Vettriano's paintings were turning him into millionaire - illustrating how desirable these paintings were becoming. Britain couldn't get enough of his work. Everyone apart from the art establishment.


No matter how successful Vettriano's work became he has still never been seen as an artist in the eyes of  the art establishment. Is jealously the reason behind the reason that this self-taught painter is being so successful without the power of their opinion to help him get noticed, or was it just luck?
Personally, I feel one aspect behind the key to his success is due to the fact Vettriano uses desirable situations in his paintings. Situations where people would aspire to be involved in, or either situations which reminds them of their self. Whatever way they look upon his work, I feel that the viewer will always feel some sort of connection with it, and have positive connotations.


There are aspects to his work which does make me question along side everyone else, is the fact he relies solely on a photograph to capture the exact image he wants to create. By using this technique I feel leaves no room for imagination, or his own interpretation to feature in his paintings, which I believe is very important aspect in art.


Is art not about your own personal opinion? To paint or draw however you feel is necessary, not for people tell you what works and what doesn't? Due to the fact Vettriano doesn't experiment with features such as colour and shape, unlike an artist such as Picasso; does that make him any less of a respected artist? Sometimes I feel in the art world people rely too much on the art industry telling you who is good and who to like, instead of people making up their own minds.