"War" photographs at the BBC

[zemjw]

This was posted on the BBC site this morning.

Some bloke called David Levinthal has published a book of photography recreating historical scenes using toy soldiers.

To be honest, the folks here at LAF regularly produce better stuff, some of his painting is iffy, and in at least one of the photos he hasn't bothered to paint the figures.

Overall, disappointed, and not something I'll be asking for for Christmas

edit to fixing typo in title

[Cubs]

Hmm, that's a very ordinary display of skills to my mind. I'm not sure why this is meant to impress.

[Ray Earle]

I have to agree, two years at art college made me decide to stay well away from the art world.

[YPU]

Because he wrote a kick ass essay with it, put shows on at a gallery and handed out cheese and cheap wine. He also called it art and that gets any old shit over the line. Any of you guys could be doing this sort of thing if you could stomach the people you have to deal with. If you want to give it a go start practising your air kisses and get a better wardrobe, something avant garde.

As somebody who's field of work has both the craft and art side, I fully agree with all of the above. With the right mindset you can sell a product of inferior skill for far more money asuming you can stand the scene.

[joroas]

elaborately staged?  Really?

[YPU]

Also, we are snobs, even more then I knew already.

[Cubs]

If you want to give it a go start practising your air kisses and get a better wardrobe, something avant garde.

I once went out on the beers with a gay mate and he turned up wearing a knitted tank-top with no shirt underneath. That didn't sit well with me ... not at all. The only time I've ever worn stuff like that was on laundry day (pre-marital days, obviously).

[Michi]

I have to agree, two years at art college made me decide to stay well away from the art world.

Approved.
Having been rejected more than 20 years ago made me earn at least double the money than if I had been accepted...
Stayed well away from art too ever since.

[FramFramson]

I have to agree, two years at art college made me decide to stay well away from the art world.

Four years of university and one of college. Not to mention about a decade of buildup to that point.

Pretty well all wasted here. I've been drifting ever since I left school.

The "fine" or "high" art world has become so cut off an insulated from anything that people are barely aware such a thing exists anymore. If it weren't for Banksy (who I love), I'm not sure fine art would have any connection to the public left at all any more. The main art people consume these days are things like anime tits or game packaging... and given how cut off the "high" art world is from any sort of reality, it's not impossible that three hundred years from that it'll be the tits and laser guns that get put in art history textbooks.  

[Michi]

it's not impossible that three hundred years from that it'll be the tits and laser guns that get put in art history textbooks.  

At least I contribute my fair share to that movement (if the painting of miniatures do count)...

[grant]

Wow, I guess I'm an artist now. Who knew?

That guy's stuff is vaguely mediocre, at best.

Time to seek an idea to the Canadian War Museum...

[grant]

 

[smokezombie]

I bloody love tits and lazer guns.

[Doomhippie]

While I agree that I have seen a lot better painted models here on this forum this art discussion is a little puzzling to me. Since there are no objective criteria for when an object becomes art we just as well might accept that these little insatallations are art. Anything might actually become a piece of art. As far as I remember it mainly has to with intention, context, idea and meaning.

Mind you, I do have a problem with "art". Just thinking about the endless "studies in [insert any color whatsoever] by various artists makes me want to puke. In fact one of my favourite artists is Mr. Rothko whose "art" is hanging around our house because the wife adors his pictures. I hate them. I once smashed one of those Frames during a fight about art and why you had to decorate food with expensive bits and pieces rather than just eat it when I was rather drunk. Still carrying the scars and feeling extremely stupid for having done that (though my wife started to laugh at my desperate attempt of machoism - she is just so cool...).

 And yes, I'm one of those who think "I could have done that." But I guess the only way to answer is "But you didn't."

[Cubs]

An artist is not a special kind of person, but each person is a special kind of artist.

Anything can be defined as art if you try hard enough ... opinion is the only thing that divides good art from bad. My opinion is that this is not very good. Most of us have indeed done it, but not via the medium of a museum. The assumption is that we want to do so and are prevented from doing so by ... lethargy? Lack of confidence? Integrity?

If LAF submitted its myriad images to the exhibit I wonder how much attention we'd all get.