Risk-Free Art

Art is a risky undertaking. Whether it’s a painting, a novel, or a symphony, the attempt by an individual to convey a timeless message to humanity is fraught with risk. One could lose one’s money, friends, prestige, even one’s mind. Many are the great creators who worked themselves to the point of insanity or death (Mozart, Van Gogh, and Orwell, for instance). This risk is the price that must be paid for participating in one of the quintessential acts of Western culture.

But wait. The indefatigable purveyors of post-modernism have found a way to eliminate the risk. It is called “collaborative art.” This does not refer to a group of artists pooling their resources, but rather working together on the same piece.

According to an article by Eric Billingsley in the Arts section of the Albuquerque Journal (9/2/2007), the movement is picking up steam here in the Southwest. One of the groups mentioned is Stove: A Group Project. A large photo of their “collaborative mural” appears in the story. Out of curiosity, I went to see it for myself. Here’s my photo of the whole wall:

And a close-up of one of the more colorful patches:

I have no objection to a group of people easing their stress by spray-painting their own wall. This can be a beneficial and soothing social activity, like hiking or playing mah-jongg. But sorry, Mr. Billingsley, this is not art, even if you declare that “artists unite to unleash their creative potential.”

One of the groups touted in the puff piece is the Verb Collective, which specializes, judging from the photos, in group finger painting. The word collective summarizes the issue. They have collectivized the creative process, thereby demolishing the hallmark of great art: individual genius.

Throughout history, the collective part was the learning process, after which the individual struck out on his own to add a contribution to the body of work produced by his predecessors over the centuries. Now, the process is reversed and mangled: Group “creation” preceded by little or no familiarity with technique or art history.

But hey, that’s cool. Who needs technique or art history? We’re all equal, so what’s the big deal. C’mon, let’s finish our little masterpiece, and then go chill out next door (yes, this really is next door to the Stove):

A member of Verb Collective is quoted as saying that “collectives are needed as artists step out of just being angry.” Allow me to rephrase that: The furor of individual creativity, that risky enterprise which has formed the bedrock of our culture, has now been sanitized.