The aesthetic and monetary value of fine art often change drastically over time as certain styles go in and out of fashion. It is a common misconception that valuable items of a certain age will retain or increase their worth in the future. Unfortunately, this is not always the case, but in fact are the exception unless the art is by recognized masters or otherwise have historical significance.
A general decline in popular interest can be seen in certain categories of fine art, antiques, and collectibles. Whether it is antique hand-crafted furniture, early classic automobiles, or 18th and 19th century artworks, the collector base is transformed as generations age and pass away. Items that were sought after and held as valuable can become less popular, less desirable, and worth less in the marketplace as a generation whose culture held the art in esteem declines. Items of popular interest are often replaced by fashionable works of interest to a new generation.
If history teaches us anything, it is that we need to examine the past in order to more clearly understand how we have arrived at the present.
In Europe and America, the taste for overly sentimental Victorian and Edwardian pictures was replaced in the late 19th and early 20th centuries by the nature inspired Art Nouveau style characterized by intricate and ornate designs with decorative patterns of flowers and vines. The Art Nouveau style is personified by the art of Czech artist Alphonse Mucha (1860-1939) and the works of the American artist Louis Comfort Tiffany (1848-1933). The Charles Hosmer Morse Museum in Winter Park has a wonderful collection of Tiffany’s artworks.
In the 1920’s and 1930’s, the Art Nouveau style was overtaken by a streamlined and industrial and modern Art Deco style that embodied elegant simplicity of form and utility. This style was expressed in the design of everything from men and women’s clothing to household appliances, automobiles, and locomotives. In the political and economic upheaval of the 1900’s a group of artists known as Expressionists were inspired by the emotional works of Vincent Van Gogh and emerged in Germany. In France, Surrealists like Salvador Dali and Andre Masson were fascinated by dreams and the unconscious as they explored the irrational and fantastic. German Expressionism evolved into Pure Abstractionism found in the work of the Russian artist Wassily Kandinsky, while artists living in Paris like Pablo Picasso and Amadeo Modigliani were influenced and inspired by African ceremonial and tribal art.
Early 20th century visual art and design enjoyed the freedom of exploring new cultural territory and defying previous conventions. The Bolshevik regime in Russia soon outlawed the new movement and replaced it with the propaganda art of Socialist Realism. In Germany, the German Expressionist and other modern artworks and music were rapidly replaced with officially approved Nazi propaganda art. Among the many works of art condemned by the Nazis were paintings by Vincent Van Gogh, Henri Matisse, Pablo Picasso along with the forbidden books and music by many other masters.
Art created in free societies is characterized by the individual artist’s unrestricted exploration of imagery and technology. Unlike previous eras there is an ever-expanding variety of styles and imagery that exist simultaneously. In the U.S., the post-World War II era produced the New York School of American Abstract Expressionism that gave us works by DeKooning, Rothko, and Rauschenberg. The world of comic books, mass media, and advertising gave us the Pop Art of Roy Lichtenstein, James Rosenquist, and Andy Warhol. Jean-Michel Basquiat, Anselm Kiefer, and David Hockney and numerous other internationally recognized visual artists expanded the variety of styles exhibited.
Taste depends strongly on education and experience. Trends in life, politics, and art change with each generation seeking its own identity and expression. Sometimes these trends result in conformity to the present while other times it’s evidenced by rejection of the status quo. Sometimes world events and artists’ resulting creative environment results in a renewed resurrection and revival of the past.
Works of art often reflect the times we live in, our interests, and who and what we are both as individuals and as a culture – for better or worse.
Mark Alexander can be reached through www.artserv2000.com.