As the Colonialists transitioned from their initial focus on survival to building a semblance of life similar to what they had left in Europe as they embarked for the New World, the perception of the Artist (Limner) began to change as well. But that change was slow. Art was not highly valued initially, but in a generation or two, Art and Artists enjoyed an elevation in status and need! The reality, however, was that the larger Colonial society was more divided in terms of religious values impacting cultural mores. Sobriety and resistance to ostentatiousness were the preferred expressions even during the transition.
The early 20th-century American painter John Sloan harshly described the perception of Colonial Artists as follows: “The unwanted cockroach in the kitchen of a frontier society.” (Barbara Rose, American Art Since 1900, 1967)
As Artists yourselves, or as students studying American Art, does this harsh assessment of the position Artists occupied in Colonial and Frontier America society persist today? Do Americans appreciate their Artists in your time like they do in European countries?
I can understand how art can be underappreciated with Europeans under the circumstances of both discovering a new world and establishing a new civilization. However, I believe art is more appreciated in our society compared to how Europeans viewed art when they left for the New World. To some people, art is used to both convey and interpret special meanings of different artworks through their art style, visual representation, and material they used in their designs. Also, art historians are continuously discovering and studying artworks from both artifacts and landmarks from different countries to learn more about history. In addition, some artists collaborate with other people to create unique artworks that could both be shared and enjoyed by the public. Finally, Americans developed both art schools and institutions to inspire students to pursue careers as artists. I believe that there might be some people the reject art based on personal and/or cultural beliefs. However, I believe our current society both value and appreciates both art and artists in the United States. I believe our society considers art as an important aspect in our culture.
In the way we study art, specifically in an education system, we tend to put a lot focus on learning about past artists because there is this belief that we can learn so much from them and we can but, we can learn just as much from today’s artists. The average American won’t know too much about artists working today. As an art student, I’ve had various professors tell their students to keep up with the work of artists that are currently working because they aren’t spoken about too much in our art history classes. If you aren’t an artist working, an art student, or active in the art world, there is a good chance you won’t know about contemporary working artists which is a shame since they are interpreting the world/society/etc/ we live in right now. There is just as much value coming from their work and perhaps more of a connection that can be formed from the viewer to the piece of a contemporary piece than one that is generations older.
I think, considering the time period, the statement is justified in the notion the people in America were trying their best to survive and build their own society. People were not interested at the time in building a culture, but fighting for their own survival in ways that sustained a a newly colonized small town. The people were not cavemen, but they were looking towards different priorities such as what to cook and eat with and how their homes could function versus art. I think the appreciation for art has grown as time has gone one, especially as people see it as so much more than a picture on the wall. There are now so many mediums and methods to make art that people have generalized it and taken away its elitist connotation. Now we see people saying everyone is an artist, with people often saying art won’t get you anywhere, and to instead go for a STEM major for the money. I personally think, and personal experience contributes to this, people think of art as the least significant aspect of culture. As art students, or art history students, we know this not to be true, and know of the influence art pieces have had on societies based on the other art history courses we have taken. To know the importance of art, and to know the artists that are up and coming in any ever-evolving culture, takes a lot of time, energy, and personal research. Professors and peers can teach us so much about the importance of art from a societal or national or historical perspective, but the only way to know the importance of art from a personal perspective takes a lot of self discipline to study contemporary art.
While I wouldn’t go so far as to say that the general American populace views artists with an equal level of importance as cockroaches, I do agree that Europeans tend to hold more value for artists that Americans do. Both of my girlfriend’s parents are immigrants from Hungary, and my girlfriend herself has spent a lot of time there in her life, and her assessment was that Europeans do tend to place more value on culturally traditional art; for example, in Hungary, embroidery and dance are two valued art forms.
Over time I believe that we have looked at artists in a little bit of a better light. However, I do not believe that we as Americans look at Art and the Artists who make them on the same level that they do in Europe. To be honest, only artists and students working to become artists learn about out past in the art world. They don’t teach art in other mediums, facets, and other areas of life. Things such as math, reading, and even history are commonplace in every educational curriculum. While art itself, and the history around art is often mitigated or not taught at all. While in Europe, art is commonplace in every walk of European society.
Referring to the statement above I believe art/artists in today’s world isn’t viewed like how Sloan described back in the early 20th century. From a perspective as an art student I see the average of people take a liking into art, but are never too invested in the material. Although, those same people I feel like tend to look up to any artists out there because they hope the artist will do this or do that specifically, trying to please their audience . Overall, I believe that art has grown a popularity that the art community would never see the day of because art is only growing as time goes on, and maybe there are more people out in the world that care about us as artists without us even knowing.
I don’t think Sloan’s comment is accurate to how Americans view art nowadays. After reading his comment, the only thing I was thinking was “what artwork hurt this guy?”, he sounds very bitter towards people that want to put art in their homes. I think Americans generally like and appreciate art, but not as much as Europeans. With the prevalence of social media, I think that there are a lot of people that use art as a tool for popularity rather than expressing themselves or appreciating the medium. This isn’t exclusively an American thing, I’ve noticed a lot of English speakers will repost artwork they found online and not give credit to the artist. It creates a situation where the artwork is super appreciated, but the artist goes unnoticed and other people will profit from their work.
To be honest, the examples of Colonial art shown here and in the slides are not the most sophisticated pieces of work. While the anatomy and overall interest does increase as we go along, the pieces are boring in terms of composition and do not keep the viewer drawn inside of itself for very long. While I would not go as far as calling it an “unwanted cockroach”, I can see how the opinion would form.
Very very strangely if we were to talk about how art is appreciated by us today we are more attracted to simplicity than ever. Social media like instagram can showcase A LOT of art, but something too intricate will easily become scrolled past. I don’t feel that many people today, outside of art students, appreciate art. We take art history classes that show us the greats but the average person has no other perception other than art is just an image on instagram.
I feel in today’s society art is now viewed as more of a passion or a lifeline rather than in colonial artist times and in european countries art was a status symbol and a means to appreciate the finer things in life. Now art is more viewed as a expression of one’s own creativity as well as a cultural relationship to relate and compare to. I feel that even now though artists in america are viewed as not as esteemed ( career wise) as other professions. Artists have come a long way from where we were but still have a long way to go to be viewed as equivalent to most cultural society norms that consider success in terms of a career.
Although, the current status of art and artists in the US isn’t as low as to say that they are the “cockroach in the kitchen” I think that there is more of an appreciation of art itself and not necessarily the process of making art or the artist themselves. I think that the appreciation of artists will also happen slowly similar to the way that appreciation of art happened slowly; I really like the point that Grant made about how social media has influenced the way that art is perceived and taken in in todays society. That is something I hadn’t really considered but definitely rings true to the way that art is delivered.
I think that the “The unwanted cockroach in the kitchen of a frontier society.” (Barbara Rose, American Art Since 1900, 1967) is a great metaphor for representing the attitude of the society in the Colonial Times. The Artists in America didn’t have the same glorious and fancy lifestyle as their colleague artists in Europe. Unfortunately, they were somewhere in the background of society. Nowadays, things are a little different. There is a great art scene in the United States, many art galleries, museums, cultural organizations, as well as in Europe, things are very similar. However, the average American and the average European both don’t know much about art. Therefore, in the United States, and Europe the art is a privilege for a certain group of people that value the importance of art.
It’s almost sad to say that I do think that this image of the artist still somewhat persists in American culture today. Perhaps it is not as harsh as Sloan first put it, but I do believe there is still a certain view that many people hold about artists, that is, they are not very important to society as they are in other countries and cultures. It took a long time for artists in America to gain a certain level of respect, and even then it was not all that much. I think the American culture simply does not place enough value in the world of arts like it does in other aspects of life. Realistically, as an American, you’re taught that you should aim to make a life and career out of something practical, and to many people, art is just not that. My hope is that one way artists and art in America will have attain the same levels of respect as those in other countries, but I do think there is still a lot to do.
The most significant problem to answering the question above is how modern artists in Europe are viewed. When visiting Europe to see the sites and beautiful artwork, we can see that it is important to their culture to preserve such art. But in today’s time, what do they think of the artists of today? Is it like America, where there is a large art sub-culture in every city, and then an even larger sub-culture that believes art is unimportant even though art is used to create everything in their life, from their clothes to their car?
It is understandable that America, just like Europe, had no drive or need for luxuries such as the fine arts when first developing. However, as a civilization grows, so does its needs. Fine arts are not only a way to study a civilization’s norms, culture, social economics, politics, etc. But also how we learn and become inspired for new art. Without the basics of art, we would not have new or improved architecture, paints, prints, sculptures.
I personally feel that there is still a larger population of Americans who do not understand that without an engineer, the car would not exist, but without the artist to sculpture their vehicle for our comfort, they would be less likely to want to drive to work, school, hobbies, bars, or sites. Whether these views are better or worse in Europe, I can not say because I did not grow up in their culture.
Lizbeth Ramirez | Art 474
As an art student there is this sort of stigma that exists, because how is one supposed to make a living out of that? Or at least, so I’ve been told many times. I think it’s different though for working artists. I grew up learning about past artists and learning how to appreciate their work. When it comes to contemporary art It’s pretty recent, about 2 years ago, that I started to really follow the work of artists of my time. Especially now because of the pandemic, I feel that society as a whole looked more into the arts and entertainment for comfort. Now, because we’ve lacked so much social interaction, all people want is an experience and many artists are able to provide that. I feel like despite the current situation, the appreciation for the artists of our time has grown. People want new and innovative things, so when artists are able to provide that, it’s much appreciated.
As an art student, taking history classes has shown me to appreciate art from century’s to millenniums and admire the craftsmanship these artists have done to create them. Very little is told about the cultural or societal aspect behind it since sometimes little may be known of what was discovered from the piece or artist. I feel as Americans, it isn’t much so appreciating the beyond of the art like European countries do and more so admiration and move on. Though it is interesting to learn in-depth and analyze how colonization must of been based on the art we are looking at during that time period which in one of my art history classes has done. It’s probably not as prominent in the appreciation Americans show for the artists here but it’s a slow progress that is becoming more and more noticeable. Especially with all the controversial topics rising in our country, more art relating to these events can impact the history and appreciation for the audience to learn and admire.
While Sloan’s assessment may have been harsh in describing Colonial artists, it is understandable considering the fact that the primary focus of the time was establishing a community in which they could survive. Once Colonialists grew roots and began to branch off towards more enjoyable aspects of life, such as art, appreciation for artists began to grow. I believe that this trend has continued, that as time has passed and an art community was established, people began to recognize and appreciate art in America. I do not believe that Sloan’s assessment of Colonial Artists has continued today. While artists are more appreciated in America today, I do not think they receive the same recognition in their time as European artists. I have found that if you are not already interested in or a part of the artist community that most current artists go unrecognized by the larger society. Or when they are recognized, they are still not as celebrated as other art forms such as music and dance. Although it is not always the case, especially amongst other artists, I have noticed that when people are aware of art outside of the artist community, it is of art made by artists from the past and not the present.
Art today, and perhaps at the time, is seen as a commodity. Art is valued on its interest rather than its practicality. In the materialistic society of today, art is often collected and taken for granted. The value in art can be divided in the historical context and its informative context. Art is made for a particular purpose and that purpose often says something about the current time or commentates on a particular issue in some way. Art is also done as a way to record history and events, be it literally or indirectly (such as to be influenced on the style of a period). Many people will dismiss the value of what art is.
I think that Americans appreciate their artists more in our time than they did in the past because there are many more forms of art and each form is able to be seen by a larger volume of viewers due to the internet. There still is a better attitude towards artist outside of the internet due to the rise in the amount of art galleries, craft fairs and county fairs where artist can win cash prizes as well as find a larger demographic of potential clients. Many modern businesses employ multiple layers of artist to design their brand, interior or online shop, and also their advertising.
I believe that, nowadays, most Americans have a positive attitude towards arts and artists. However, their relationship to art and artists varies according to their political leanings, socioeconomic status, and gender. Based on the studies, 80% of American adults hold a “very favorable” or “somewhat favorable” view of the arts. But subjects like science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) received higher favorability rates between 85-90%. For Europeans, I think they appreciate artists more because of their cultural and traditional views and it’s because they have been into it with their roots and generations.
At the end, in my opinion, American society is getting more positive belief about art and its significant role in today and future life style. Accordingly, artists are getting more credit and attention and their position is improving by time, in compare to the past.
There is still a lot of criticism to be had when it comes to the art world, but since more people are going into free lance work (in general, not just art) as it is harder to find jobs that satisfy a lot of people, there is not as many comments made such as John Sloan’s. Too many free lance artists saturate social media and is harder for people to stand out, even with a huge following. Today, there are more pieces that are graphic with violence or sexual themes, but there is usually a reason as to why an artist would create a piece like that. I think during Sloan’s time, art had value if there were religious themes or proved to be useful with architecture. There is more support when it comes to artists that are not problematic and trying to spread a meaningful message.
From what I’ve noticed. Most art appreciators initially gravitate to the art that speaks to them most, and art made in a similar generation to when the viewer grew up typically speaks to them the clearest. When people from different generations try to push old art that doesn’t click and set it as a standard, that is usually met with harshness and hostility depending on how contemporary the audience is.
The harsh criticism of artists of the colonial era by Sloan makes sense to me when you take into account the context of the time period in which they lived. Colonial America was a harsh and unforgiving landscape that demanded constant work in order to survive, so I can understand why someone would critique an artist taking time out of their day to create something that was considered invaluable at the time. That being said I do not believe this disdain for artist during the colonial times persists today in American culture. Because we have the luxury of not having to worry as much about survival, we can take time to enjoy the subtleties and beauties of life giving more recognition and credit to those who choose to create these pieces.
The assessment is pretty harsh and I think people don’t view art during Colonial and Frontier America society that way today, but I think the statement is rooted in that what people appreciate in art changes radically over time. Thinking about what art I like today would be different to someone who lived in Colonial America, not to mention what other countries and cultures might think. I believe the average American today would most likely understand the historical context and cultural difference of Colonial and Frontier American art compared to that of today, but not really care much beyond that because it is different to what people consume everyday today. Between the two, and from my own personal experience, I think Europeans generally appreciate traditional and cultural art and artists more than Americans. I think it’s most likely based on different cultural and educational values.
I can definitely see why the colonists would view artists in such a way during the early years. At that time everything was largely unknown and the main goal everyday was to survive, and an artists skill set wouldn’t help build a house or plant a field. Nowadays I don’t think artists are seen that negatively in America, but at the same time I think a large majority of them don’t get as much respect as other professions do. Usually when discussions go towards career paths the path of an artist isn’t seen as financially lucrative, safe, and aren’t usually supported. At the same time, there’s a pretty good reason for that, since a majority of people that pursue the career of an artist end up dropping off, or have to get another job to support their endeavors as an artist.
I do think there is a similar view that occurs today. Today, everyone wants to see cool art and take pictures of it and post about it, but they don’t look further into the work or the artist themselves. I feel as though art now is seen a bit more as a backdrop versus the main piece of the area. Art in its many definitions, has always been the defining piece of an era, but always somehow loses its name and voice.
John Sloan’s assertion that colonial era artists were “…unwanted cockroach(s) in the kitchen of a frontier society” sounds like a limited view from one individual, though I believe certain factions in American history have always and still do hold this view.
One reason that I can think to argue the opposite, is the fact that the accepted definition of art has expanded to a vast degree over the defined art of colonial America, and another is that my frame of reference is that of an art enthusiast, so I naturally disagree with the sentiment. However, whether I feel that way or not is irrelevant, as I know there are multitudes of Americans today who would argue against arts, art education, and artists.
Despite the potential of this reality, I do believe that artists are recognized in their time to a greater degree than in the past – music has evolved to include sounds almost anyone could find a liking in, film and performance enjoy a healthy celebrity culture, and the internet and media make even sculpture and more ‘traditional’ arts accessible to all. I conclude that people do tend to generally appreciate their artists within the artist’s lifetime, here in America and in European countries alike.
The American public probably wouldn’t go as far as equating their artists as cockroaches in the modern day. The definition of art and things that encompass it has expanded by tenfold since the Colonial times and the general public have been more open and appreciative of it. While one can argue that it’s not too highly regarded as something that’s precious all the time, it is so ingrained in people’s lives that it’s hard to ignore and not appreciate.
I don’t see that the same assessment of the position of Artists who occupied Colonial and Frontier America society persist today. No one would see modern day artists and refer them as cockroaches – maybe theres some disdain but not so much of the same view that Sloan had. Theres such a wide range of what can be considered as art today and there are many different interpretations and stances on art that exists now. There’s at least some form of art that resonates with any person no matter where it comes from or what its influenced by.
In a time that the primary focus was slowly shifting from survival to more refined, it’s understandable that art was under-appreciated. The construct of religious values also made creating art extremely constrictive. This country was so new that there was not even the ability to go and appreciate art without it fitting into the conformity of the Colonial style.
Now with art not only do we draw our focus to artists of the past and all over the globe, but we’re fortunate to take advantage of technological advancements such as the internet. Whether it be a social media platform like Instagram, or browsing through online photo galleries, people have the ability to discover art that fits their tastes. Almost everyone in the world has the ability to look at, discover, and appreciate art in an instant. People who have the desire to admire art definitely have the ability to do so.
I think that the value in art in the western world is certainly better today than it was in the time where artists were seen as “unwanted cockroaches,” but to say that America puts a lot of value in it’s art feels a bit off. I think that America in particular has a difficulty acknowledging and appreciating art, especially modern art examples. Art still feels like a taboo in America, it still feels like people try to undersell it. On top of that, it feels as though most of America is disconnected from what art actually is. America still tries to actively cut art from education and treat it like it’s unusual. Better than before, but still kind of rough. It’s literally everywhere, and in everything, and people still try to argue it’s unimportant. It’s baffling.
I feel like art and artist have been valued differently over the years as time goes on. Art has evolved and developed in different forms over time and has gained more and more appreciation as it continues to revamp itself. However I feel that art isn’t as appreciated in the same way that people in European countries. Education about the arts is typically the most underfunded in the school system, leaving many with a meek impression of art causing them to put less value into those who work hard to master the craft. Sure as time went on more people were able to spread art around into new cities or even on the internet considering todays media, but only people who are really into art and seek higher education learn about its past and gain a different appreciation for the it. I feel that art has gained more appreciation but not enough recognition that nurtures its growth early on.
The perception of 20th-century Colonial Artists doesn’t quite surprise me, especially when you think about how most artists painted what they saw around them whether it be religious commentary or historical movements. It seems in history artists have always had mixed reactions to their work because the content tends to be things the public doesn’t want to think about. That being said, I don’t think artists nowadays face as much backlash as those in the past however I do think there will always be an audience that is critical of the things artists create. I would say that artists in our time do get significantly more appreciation but I believe that they’ll never fully be highly respect because of the stigma around being an artist as a career in general.
Even though the Colonial Artist may not have been respected at the time, they are greatly valued in the history of art and America today. Many famous artists did not even received their recognition until after their deaths like Vincent Van Gogh or Johannes Vermeer. Some good things takes time. Art is meant to be seen for everyone and the longer is stays alive, the more it can be valued by some other generation. Instead of a cockroach, I see the paintings as if they were bees. They may not seem important at first, but with time, art can help society better understand the world. Today, the arts are underappreciated. School funding, for example, most of the time the arts are the first to go. The arts are important, however, because records can show you who lived and died when, but nobody will ever get the feeling of how life was during those times without the creations that came before. Art is an opening into everything, whether it is emotion, mental, or physical. People may never see the importance of art, but even if one piece of art is left alive, then that is a window into the past. Which can mean a lot to the future that is to come.
I think it’s sad that it took them such a long time to accept and appreciate the artwork in Colonial and Frontier America. I think times have changed and that assessment doesn’t persist today in America as harshly as it did back then. I think Americans have gained way more appreciation for their artists and we are also more open-minded as well for what is considered artwork. The idea of art is very abstract and there are many different forms of art. However, I think that artwork might be slightly more valued in European countries, but I don’t think that is considered a nuisance or a cockroach in America either. Americans still appreciate their artists a great deal, but I wish that more modern artists were included in our education.
Now is definitely different from what it used to be. We value artists more than before, same as how they do in European countries. I think in a time when they are trying to settling their life in a foreign land, it is reasonable that they against the ostentatiousness and support more essential needs. At the same time, the artists at that time may face more stress, and I admire their strength to add a piece of art history that is significant in later time.