Today I purchased a piece of art from the internet.

It was a pretty piece, part colourist, part abstract expressionist, part surrealist that made me look again.

The artist is known if you read a little on art. The price was reasonable and within 4 minutes of deciding to buy it I had it and I never left home.

I have just purchased my first piece of ‘Tablet’ Art or to give it it’s more common name......iPad Art.

Am I happy? Yes, but in a different way to normal.

This Art is immediate, normally simplistic which is charming for me and I am not worrying about it being

stolen.....or being held as a pawn in a kidnappers game.

Why?

Because I bought the limited print and then downloaded my original as a wallpaper for my smartphone.

125€ and I have an original for my wall and a reminder on my phone.....Welcome to the Future.

Below are examples of iPad Art.

Hello my lovely lovers of art.

How are you all?

I must apologise for my desertion of duties recently but other things have been upon me recently.....

So here I am, back from the Hamptons and what do I see?

A mixed bag to say the least.

Positives first because it is so much more fun don't you think?

- A.N.P.Q. in Peret continue to evolve whilst staying true to the owners beliefs.

Do try to see the latest exhibition, we hear it is one of the best yet.....

- Sete continues to do what it does best, Lodeve is getting better and better and you all keep ignoring it.....don't.

And finally, the exhibitions at Paul Valery in Sète and the fun times of Beziers are just always there.

And now for the whinge......

The Musée Fabre in Montpellier is one of the most important and powerful Musées in the south of France.

Well funded, well staffed, a fantastic location and opportunities that many glance at with a jealous tinge of green and lo and behold........another lazy and quite frankly boring exhibition titled and sold on one of the greatest artists in history, Caravaggio.

What is going on here?

Is it laziness? I don't think so, the movers and shakers here are passionate about art.

Is it a 'comfort zone' of knowing they are safe? Maybe, there is no edge to these exhibitions. And by that I mean passion, admiration of the work, the opportunities that they have to excite us are being totally missed and it really is not good enough.

Is this my opinion?

Yes, but it is also the opinion of friends, artists and an acquaintance who has specialised in Caravaggio for 40 years.

Is it Montpellier? Is the city strangling the flair here? I don't think so when you look around at the wonderful and diverse art and culture that makes the city one of the best in France.

I asked for visitor figures and got.........nothing, zip, zero, nada.

Why so shy?

Come on Fabre, FEEL again, please.

So I arrive in the Hamptons and all is well.

The parties are arranged and the boat is glistening with a new coat of paint.

And Tom has purchased the most bloody awful sculpture, no form, no lines and you can't miss it as it is over 30 foot tall.

Makes me think.............

Big is better…… not always

The Argument For:

Have you seen the Hockney exhibition in London with the large canvases that envelop you?

Or visited the Artparks with the 9m high sculptures that seem to inhabit the entire space?

Or marveled (?) at Jeff Koons and his 12m+ “Puppy”?

I have and I think they are amazing, enthralling and powerful creations that deserve examination, awe and response. And they are created by artists who have worked hard to master their skills, so that when they ‘upscale’ and attempt to create gigantic pieces, whether on canvas, sculptor or installation, they are exploring the unknown, exposing themselves - craft and often, reputation - to achieve a very difficult medium; large pieces of art that open up a new realm of possibilities, difficulties and interpretation.

The Argument Against.

Going ‘large’ does not make you a better artist.

Just because your canvas is the size of a barn door does not make it a quality piece of work.

Advertising banners are inspiring because they cover a building and are eye catching but they do not make the art better because they are big. They are there as a lure into something else.

A 50 metre high Kate Moss draped across the Musée D’Orsay is not art. Lots of fun for pubescent boys, but just advertising. Period!

Abstract is in the dock here, along with contemporary and installation art.

Anish Kapoor recently filled the Grand Palais in Paris with a monster installation ‘Leviathon’ which was magnificent.

To quote: “A single object, a single form, a single colour.” My ambition is to create a space within a space that responds to the height and luminosity of the Nave at the Grand Palais. Visitors will be invited to walk inside the work, to immerse themselves in colour, and it will, I hope, be a contemplative and poetic experience.”

It worked on many levels; it melded within the original building, and then transformed it. It was interactive and yet at the same time stood alone as an installation, like a parasite that chose to be there and became symbiotic with its host.

The other side of the fence.

An artist I met and liked has created a 6m x 4m abstract canvas with a Rothko red background and a black line that didn’t work as a ‘normal’ size canvas, so the artist trebled its size and then proclaimed, “It’s where I see myself and my art combining in a true sense of belonging and meaning”.

If you say so………

When it was a normal canvas it was called ‘Unknown red’.

And that is where it should have stayed…….unknown.

So why do it?

Does a painting (in this case) improve because it is 3 times bigger? (Very occasionally I admit).

I am disappointed, no, jaded by my needs and wants being dictated by so called media savvy messengers and artists who will not consider their own worth and ‘upscale’ just because it is the ‘new way’. It stifles the artist and ridicules me the spectator.

What will be ‘cool’ next? Someone is bound to tell me soon.

As a viewer of art I like to decide for myself what I feel or like; and at times I will go and see something that I don’t (think I) like. This is the quality of being open minded, coupled with a willingness to learn.

Show me an artist who is pushing personal boundaries, exploring their own feelings and drag-netting those shadowy depths and trying (not always successfully) to express that outwardly; it shows an ability to keep learning, to keep trying things, to endeavor, to grow as an artist, a person, a creative soul. For my part, I will actively seek an experience in the work.

And if this is the case, if an artist’s creative path is taking he/she towards grander vistas, then excellent. But should one go down this route because it is ‘the latest thing’?

The Risk

Artists who create vast pieces are often moving away from a comfort zone into unchartered territory. It requires skill and vision, and for some, considerable courage. But the rewards for artist and spectator can be greater interaction, heightened experiences, with the creative presence packing a more powerful punch.

But Artists, are you going BIG because it is what YOU want to do? Or is it that the constant white noise of media everywhere is telling you that you will fail unless you conform to the latest craze? What is the driving force here? Drawing attention to you or being inspired by a genuine notion that finally translated into the tower-block hugging piece?

I would ask both creators and spectators to reflect on whether you are simply buying into the ‘bigger is better’ and the ‘shocking is sellable’ line that is shouted out by the lazy, bored or oft talentless media and moneyed minority who have nothing but their own interests at heart, in order to stay with the crowd.

This article is in Issue 4 of L'Artiste Magazine

Well here we are everyone.

The site goes live in approx 30 minutes.

Just wanted to write a quick note to thank all of you who have encouraged, pushed and worked behind the scenes to make this possible.

What I have had confirmed is that we have some incredible talent and some fantastic places to see this talent.

Everybody has a talent and what is good to see is that so many are prepared to share their knowledge, time and passion to others.

So, about to start and what does the future hold?

Dylan and I are off to Nimes on Wednesday to see some artists and galleries, vernissages are coming quick and fast and there are 2 big big music concerts that you should see this week.

Danse.10, photography, poetry, it's all coming so join us to see and hear it all.

But enough from me, I have words to write and people to see.

Remember, we live in a time where Art is important. The beauty and passion and debate is there for all to agree or disagree with.

Be a part of it.

Enjoy!

Negsy

Try and see these this month.