Brand Name Masters

There is no doubt that artists like Michelangelo, Caravaggio and Da Vinci were great. I think the only reason they were considered masters though, is the people they knew. They knew the right people and did the right commissions, perhaps better than others. They were considered masters of their time and now. I feel what they did was worthy of recognition and part of the movement from artisan to "art star" was that they were better than before. They moved into a rich period of art and thrived off of it. The final reason I believe is that they had the right training, which echoes back to my first point of knowing the right people to help their career lift off.

Today, I don't think that their are any masters. I believe firmly in the idea that there is always a bigger fish and nowadays, unlike then, getting an idea around is much easier. I think many people have their favorites and they consider them masters, but any single person to be called a master by all is a pipe dream. Maybe because the people of today have so many different mediums whereas in the 'master's' time a good artwork was work and many days and nights were spent to create it. The instant gratification of today could account for the lack of appreciation someone might have for another's work. The varying interests of people today don't allow anyone to rule, or become a master in my eyes. The true masters of today are masters in a given field that any who use that medium all recognize.