BoldBrush
This article is part of our Sovereign Artist Club, but we've decided to
share it as an example of the type of unique, actionable ideas our club
members are already enjoying.
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How Technology Expands the Art Market
A Brief History of How We Got to The Sovereign Artist Era
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Before we delve into how to be a Sovereign Artist, let's take a brief
trip back in time. It's important to understand how technology relates
to the art market and how new technology, especially revolutionary new
technology, always expands the art market and puts more power in the
hands of artists.
Historically, the art world has always (until now) had gatekeepers that
controlled access to the market such that only "blessed" artists were
allowed to create and sell their works.
There have been roughly three eras so far and we are just now entering
the fourth:
1. The Church Era
2. The Patronage Era
3. The Gallery Era
4. The Sovereign Artist Era (Now)
Each era endured until a major societal upheaval, usually brought about
by new technology, forced a change. Each change resulted in a larger
art market and a dilution of power for the gatekeepers. Here's a brief
history of how technology historically has expanded the art market:
The Church Era
The church reigned over a dark/middle ages agrarian society. The church
(and perhaps kings) controlled just about everything art related, and
nearly all art was commissioned by and done for the glory of the
church. There was one gatekeeper and one buyer. Anything else was
heretical or frowned upon.
The Patronage Era
A major change started during the Renaissance, and continued to smolder
across western Europe until the new, dynamic ideas finally took off in
earnest during the Enlightenment. That change was humanity's shift from
being locked in a static society that suppressed individuals to
individual creativity being celebrated in a dynamic society. The
Enlightenment eventually led to the huge improvements in knowledge,
science, technology, literature, politics and art that have made modern
society possible. The original Renaissance ushered in the Patronage Era
- best exemplified by the Medici's in Florence. Artists could sell
directly to patrons, and patrons would sponsor artists. And while
patrons still held most of the power, there were a lot more patrons
than just one church and the artists had more freedom to explore
formerly heretical subjects.
The Gallery Era
Once the Enlightenment hit its stride, huge increases in scientific
knowledge led to startling new technologies that changed the world -
particularly steam engines, combustion engines, electricity and more.
We call this revolution the Industrial Revolution and western societies
shifted from being primarily agrarian to primarily industrial. During
this era we saw the rise of capitalism and nation states as the primary
form of government, at least in the west. This era reigned supreme
during the 20th century.
During the Industrial Revolution, a gallery system appeared with
numerous art galleries run by independent gallery owners who helped
market and sell art to individual collectors (A state controlled model,
used largely for propaganda purposes, ran concurrently in the communist
nation states). The art galleries helped expand the art market
tremendously. This all coincided with the rise of impressionism,
modernism, postmodernism and whatever other isms I'm forgetting. The
gallery system was much, much better than previous eras for most
artists. The market for art (and different styles of art) was
significantly expanded and the art market overall could support many
more artists. But gallerists, even if well-intentioned, were still
gatekeepers of a sort, and artists who were outside the system had far
fewer options.
The Sovereign Artist Era
And that brings us to the Sovereign Artist Era of today. As I described
above, the Information Revolution is, in many ways, just now finally
hitting its stride. And just like previous revolutions, the world is
being remade again with old powers and elites being toppled and new
power structures being created.
We've entered the Sovereign Artist Era.
It took 25 years, the rise of smartphones, and advances in bandwidth to
bring the information revolution to nearly everyone on the planet.
There are no more gatekeepers or more correctly, the only gatekeeper
left is the fear inside each artist's own mind. Sovereign Artists, no
longer beholden to patrons or galleries, have been liberated and can
now show their work and sell their work to nearly anyone on planet
earth.
Exponentially more artists can now live their dream. And not only is it
great for existing artists, as AI and robots take over traditional
jobs, we will see more and more people choosing to be artists as their
full time occupation. I foresee a day (perhaps still far in the future)
when all humans either work in developing new technology or in
creative, artistic endeavors.
I firmly believe that the central drive of a human is to create and as
more people are liberated from factories and cubicles, we will see a
huge exodus from traditional jobs and a new era of human creativity
will flourish. That is why I'm excited about this new era: The
Sovereign Artist Era.
If you're excited about this new era too, please click below to join us
on this journey and become part of The Sovereign Artist Era.
Join The Sovereign Artist Club
Sincerely,
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Clint Watson
BoldBrush & FASO Founder / Art Fanatic
www.FineArtViews.com
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