(In this post lie some “Supernatural Ramblings” during my euphoric state of mind on the history of art and its future, they can be disconcerting, click the edited button to see.)
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Sorry in advance if the Jesus part is simply… unagreeable - I was in hypomanic state.
There is already a topic for discussing AI related matters:
AI related meta thread
Ok, I removed that part, but the essence of my post remains.
Let’s not discuss that.
Supernatural ramblings aside, I believe you got your connection of art and religion completely backwards. The reason art was mostly connected with religion was because the church and similar institutions had a quasi monopoly on art for a very long time. Mostly for two reasons: They were the ones that decided which was truth and used art to document this alleged truth (it wasn’t because they loved art so much), and also because art was really expensive and mostly unobtainable for common people. It wasn’t even possible to become an artist unless you had a rich patron (the church), were rich yourself or were born into an artist caste, and there were rules about what you were even allowed to paint. This was the same almost everywhere in the “modern” world (civilizations that called themselves that). A lot of people weren’t even able to free themselves off labor for enough time to pursue art. There were exceptions but they are rare compared to today.
Even today, while art has become affordable for almost everyone in some form, interestingly being an artist is just as challenging.
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Thanks for the explanation.
You can give me the permit to delete this mess of a post.
I think what truly makes the new age for art is the availability of tools for artists and a way to share their creations in an easy way, thanks to the internet and also projects like Krita. Just 20 years ago I stopped with traditional art because I simply could not afford it. Good tools and colors were simply too expensive, storage space and a room to paint too. I switched to digital because it was more cost effective for me as a teenager, although the initial cost were also really high (like 1000+ € for a good graphics tablet, i had to save up for years). Nowadays you can draw on the phone or tablet you already own anyway. Affordable graphics tablets slowly kick Wacom off their throne and good input devices are already purchasable for cheap. Software like Krita exist, so you don’t need Photoshop or Corel anymore. Other good Apps on Mobile exist too and are affordable. The internet allows sharing and inspiring other, and in turn gets you inspired too. Artists are closer together now and a tighter community than ever before, sharing knowledge and resources. You don’t have to go to art school anymore to become an artist, you don’t have to spend a fortune on art tools anymore (digital at least) and you don’t have to rely on the generosity of a few rich people to see art in only special buildings you have to travel too.
The new age of art is not determined by style, quality or originality. It is the idea that it is truly for everyone.
So for traditional art I’m not really sure if this also holds true, last time I checked art supplies were just as expensive as 20 years ago but perhaps it’s just the professional grade stuff I’m too focused on because I know it from when I wanted to become a professional. Maybe stuff is cheaper now for hobbyists at least but from what I heard colors at least don’t poison you that much anymore and give you cancer (rest in piece Bob Ross).
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