How to make a star.

What really do we mean when calling artist an “art star”? I have chosen some adjectives to describe it. First of all being a “star” implies being famous, so any star needs good PR company. This is where people with money and connections become handy. Luckily for Da Vinci and Michelangelo they were noticed and patronized by powerful Medici family. Medici did not only commission their works but put masterpieces on display in certain locations like the religious shrines, Cathedrals, city squares. The choice of locations would also shape public opinion. Indeed it is hard to criticize the image of God or Saint in a Cathedral.

Talent is a feature that unites all brand name artists of Renaissance and Baroque time. Talent however is a complicated characteristic that combines enormous effort, high technical skills, artistic intuition, courage and more. Courage and intuition are the most important ones since back then and now there are plenty works of art that are tasteful and pleasing but very few that would touch the viewer in much deeper levels. The whole science of aesthetic beauty and design are trying to figure out how exactly subjects and objects should be lighten, placed compositionally and proportionally etc. in order to create successful work of art. It is something that artists whether can feel or not. Greek mathematical studies of Golden proportion and use of mirrors and lenses would help with some of the issues but without the spirit behind it an artwork may seem too dry and technical. Courage to break the rules and invent something new (sfumato or tenebrism) makes “art star” artists to stand out from the crowd of artisans.

ANDY WARHOL (American, 1928 - 1987)
100 Cans, 1962
Oil on canvas, 72 x 52” (182.9 x 132.1 cm.)
Collection Albright-Knox Art Gallery
Gift of Seymour H. Knox, Jr., 1963

There are definitely some “masters” today. And the “art star creating formula” did not change much. In order to become known and successful fast is enough to just push some limits, but the great masters through out the history did not usually use short cuts. Picasso for example mastered classical way of painting before inventing his own styles. Still, the embracing personal style and express yourself is a manifesto of the art stars today. Artists have much more freedom and independence. Some sources show that Michelangelo was rather suffering through the painting of Sistine Chapel but he did not dare to refuse the order of his patrons. Nowadays artists do not necessary have to sacrifice their believes and can actually choose the clients and subject matter. For me personally the contemporary masters are capable of managing contemporary technologies and creating meaningful pieces. Modern Maecenases also have their own standards and choose painters, sculptor and architects to declare and promote their status. Even though the money is not always most accurate criteria, the highest paid artists are probably the contemporary "art stars". I would pay a lot however to take a look at today’s masterpieces in at least hundred years from now and see how many of them would end up in trash or serve as answers on rhetorical questions for generations ahead.