Hip-hop inspired Fine Art usually contains a particular set of social codes that can be linked to Hip-hop's larger aesthetic which includes the use of Hip-hop language (vernacular, visual, embodied),and engages the dialectic between public and private space. Hip-hop inspired art also engages in what Danny Hoch calls the "reappropriation by hip-hop creators of materials, technology and preserved culture"(2006). When you discuss Hip-hop Aesthetics and Fine Art this week, think about the culture of Hip-hop and the themes Hip-hop artists explore. How do fine artists in Hip-hop create bridges between private and public notions of "street" and "fine" in their art? How do museum and gallery curators ( those that choose what is "art")suggest a sort of "inaccessibility" of fine art works
by charging high prices for these works? What contradictions to do you see arise when so called "street art" aesthetic makes it to the gallery and museum space?
Hip Hop art has changed drastically since its beginning in the 1970's. Hip Hop art used to be disapproved of because of graffiti, but now it has evolved into commercial art. Hip hop influenced artists Kehind Wiley and Banksy have sold paintings ranging from $50,000 to $400,000 (lecture 4/9). Hip Hop art has changed from being referred to as street art to a now being a recognized as a fine art form as well. Many national art museums presently feature hip-hop artists’ paintings, such as The Bronx Museum, Museum of Science and Industry, The Smithsonian Museum, and the Museum of Contemporary Art (lecture 4/9). There are numerous forms of hip hop art which are represented as hip hop art in museums, such as murals, stencil art, installations, wheat pasting, video projection, and sculpture. In the reading “Between the Studio and the Street: Hip-Hop in Postmillennial Visual Arts,” many artists were first introduced to art through street art like graffiti and hip-hop symbols like the boom-box. However, today hip hop art is a genre of art. Artists are frequently forming bridges between private and public and concepts of “street” and “fine” in their art (Chang 137). Sanford Biggers says that art was his way of "communicating with and educating his friends" and this is what a lot of artists use street art for (Chang 138). When watching the music video for Kanye West “Heartless”, the street art samples other well known images such as Campbell’s soup and artwork portraits of “The Jetsons”.
ReplyDeleteI had never considered “fine art” as something that hip-hop could represent. But in the images, it can portray as simple a message as “Crack is wack,” or, “Hip-hop is not a spectacular sport.” I was impressed with the creative uniqueness that fine art gets from hip-hop. It is like a documentation of history, much like art we would find in traditional museums. The identity of hip-hop fine art has shifted from “low” to “high” as many gallery owners and museum curators begin to take notice (Persley lecture 4/9). Many artists, like MCs, choose to keep there art underground because they don’t want it to succumb to a piece of art bought by someone it doesn’t apply to. A contradiction in this art is that the international popularity comes at a high price. Ironically, few who are a part of the working-class hip-hop community can afford these works, or don’t know about them (Persley, lecture 4/9). In the culture of hip-hop, we make associations with the idea of hip-hop. Nadine considers what you see in the back of music videos, something like her piece "Big Baby Blue" and includes "speakers, gold and shiny, girls dancing half naked, or something” (Chang p 147). Yet, hip-hop art is inspired by African American music and political traditions along a historical time line. Artist Sanford says, "Some of my work deals with the syncretism of many different cultures, but often I make connections between modern art and historical works”(Chang p 138). This expression of self is unique in the people it represents and how “the idea of being ‘all city’ was the driving force for so many artists…there was a deep tension between public space and private expression”(Chang p153). This is a tension that includes graffiti art as we see in Wild Style. It will be interesting to see how this dynamic continues as more hip-hop art is moved into galleries.
ReplyDeleteIt can be so abstract like Dalek’s art or the opposite, and be photography capturing a message like the art of Nikki S Lee. Banksy’s art is metaphorical and has a deeper message. Like in the webisode, the picture of the stereotypical Hispanic maid sweeping under the paint in the wall is referring to how you can hide anything under the rug.
Artists, who incorporate Hip-hop into their work, exist in a unique place within the art world. It seems as though they are extremely cautious of pigeonholing themselves. “…artists were also concerned about being labeled as a Black artist, as a woman artist, as an artist who deals with AIDS etc.” (Chang 135.) There seems to be a certain stigma associated with being labeled as a “Hip-hop” artist, as though incorporating Hip-hop into one’s work may lessen the value of the piece. This goes along with the idea presented in lecture: Hip-hop artists began to disrupt notions of “high” and “low” culture in the mainstream art world. The traditional notions of what constitutes “fine art” are shattered when pieces of art once deemed as “filth” and “trash” make it from alleys and subway cars into gallery displays in museums. Hip-hop inspired artwork making its way into fine art galleries signifies a shift in how all of the essential elements of Hip-hop were once marginalized, but now have become more greatly accepted in a mainstream context. “I do think that programmatically speaking a lot of museums and institutions, or a few at least, are a little more welcoming to the idea of this more youth culture-based work. Because it brings that demographic into the museum, and a lot of museums do not attract that kind of crowd” (Sanford 145.) However, even though many museums have broadened their views of what art is worthy enough to be displayed, a strong irony exists in this transition. The upwardly mobile, frequent art gallery attendees, majority of who are white, are the only ones who can afford these pieces that carry prices tags of thousands, even millions of dollars. The pieces filled with Hip-hop aesthetics of urban blight and lack of resources and access, cannot be consumed by the people who inspired the construction of the work itself. The appearance of Hip-hop images in museums has done little to eliminate the line between the haves and have-nots that exist within the fine art world. The socially oppressed people who inspire the very work itself, do not have the resources to consume the work they helped create.
ReplyDeleteLike in the video “Lolla Lives” the 2 commenters expressed how Banksy’s pieces of art are recognized without leaving a tag and for those who truly follow the familiarity of his work would be able to spot them. That to me shows the value in art and the Segway into fine art. Like stated in lecture are true gift from an artist should be more than just a paycheck but a piece of art painted by the artist themselves (lecture 4/9/12). The talent of an artist to express such a deep meaning of history in a stroke of a brush it what gives the same amount of creditability to a DJ sampling through crates. The vision of hip hop changed when artist like Kehinde Wiley painted with a more topic of sophistication also art can only be called fine art once it is commodified ( Hodges, Persley Lecture 4/9/12). Wiley’s work shows viewers the ironies of taking dominate “black male figures” and painting them in the same stances as “dominate white figures.” Wiley’s work showed brought forward a new light in hip hop to me the painting show the struggle black and other artist have overcome to be successful. On the other hand Sanford Biggers work of art showed me that is does not take a skin color to create a piece of art it takes a creative mind. Fine art and hip hop relate in sense of breaking color boundaries in more than just the music industry but also by art. Art breaks the stereotypical assumption of a classic painting an opens p doors for a more diverse viewing of classic for example the instrumentalist “ black violin.”
ReplyDeleteHip-hop itself comes with many stereotypes and those categorizations are projected on its listeners. Artists that are influenced by hip-hop have the grace and the struggle to be labeled as well. Artists such as Banksy and Stanford Biggers use the four elements of hip-hop to provide a different viewpoint of the culture. However, despite their personal take on fine art, their work is not always seen as works of art. For stencilist/graffitist Gaia, his art is seen as vandalism. Iona Rozeal Brown’s work may be perceived as race work. Similar to hip-hop music, hip-hop in fine art has to be categorized to be accepted or not. What this says is that the art community is not fluent in the language of hip-hop and its aesthetics. There are messages in graffiti and installations just as there are in a Monet (N.H.P lecture 4.9.12). The ability of a “street” artist to get their work into galleries or sell it for millions means there is education happening. The art world is learning a new way to view beauty. Hip-hop once again is becoming a vehicle for social change this time through sight instead of sound. “Hip-hop was about grabbing the mic- so I grabbed the mic and made these paintings” (Chang 137)
ReplyDeleteAnother element within the hip-hop world is the use of hip-hop aesthetics and fine art. This art is inspired by many political and African American Music traditions. These influences within hip-hop art have been inspired from The Harlem Renaissance, in which artists were inspired by Jazz music and Black Nationalism, The Soul Era, during the 50’s and 60’s where R&B music and early Civil Rights struggles inspired many artists, The Black Arts Movement, inspired by Funk music and Black Radical tradition and also The Hip Hop Movement (4/9 Lecture). As graffiti artists shifted from painting urban space to canvas in last 1970’s, many gallery owners and museum curators began to take notice, causing hip hop artists to disrupt notions of “high” and low” culture in the mainstream art world. Many of these artists were self-trained, seeing many different artists inspired by hip-hop across many racial, ethnic, gender and class lines (4/9 Lecture). One that was inspired by hip-hop was artist, Nadine Roberts, which she says, “I didn’t really see Black art, and I was going to be heard. Hip-hop was about grabbing the mic- so I grabbed the mic and made these paintings,” (Change 137). Hip-hop aesthetics can be defined as, the branch of philosophy that deals with the nature and expression of beauty, as in the fine arts. And for Danny Hoch, he believes that aesthetics are a codification of language, dress, gestures, and images, also, call and response, sociopolitical context and legacy, metaphor and similes, illusion, and polyculturalism (4/9 Lecture).
ReplyDeleteThe incorporation of hip-hop into the world of fine art began with graffiti artists making the transition from urban public spaces to canvas in the late 1970s. (Lecture 4/9). Keith Haring and Jean Michel Basquiat were two of the first street artists to make the transition to mainstream, which made what was originally considered an “urban menace” into making thousands of dollars. (Lecture 4/9). In the article Between the Studio and the Street, Sanford Biggers is impressed with the museums willingness to accept hip-hop art, especially in Harlem and the birthplace of hip-hop in Brooklyn. (Yee 145). In Paul Miller’s article The City and the Public versus Private he talks about how he connects hip-hop cinema, poetry, and editing techniques to DJ culture. (Miller 154). The way that the hip-hop aesthetics are portrayed in Kehinde Wiley’s art is very obvious. The codification of dress and gestures are a good example of hip-hop aesthetics in art specialized in hip-hop culture. (Lecture 4/9). Just because they originated in urban spaces and may have been auto-didactic, does not mean that their current pieces of fine art will not cost a pretty penny. Kehinde Wiley and Banksy’s works range from $50,000 to 1.7 million dollars. (Lecture 4/9).
ReplyDeleteStreet art has begun to transcend cultural bounds as works—once seen as low-class trash—have been transformed into high-class art. Through its relocation to shows and museums, the work of hip-hop artists is being re-examined by the public both in monetary sums and aesthetic value. Lecture provided name after name of hip-hop artists who have defied the lines society has drawn refusing to be conflated by stereotypes and seeking individuality through the work they produce. Paul Miller, or DJ Spooky, addresses this very issue in his work stating, “a lot of what I do is about getting people to look outside the frames of reference that so many of us have been conditioned to accept” (Spooky 149). Miller seeks to break apart the notion of the conflated American dream and its fabricated ideas in order to bring light to the real and pressing issues of today. Another artist, Luis Gispert, says of his aesthetic, “one of the things I started to do with my work is not so much try to mimic or make hip-hop but in a way reference, not illustrate, it but make something new that connects to hip-hop and other things in the world” (Gispert 140). Both of these artists are addressing that hip-hop cannot be seen as one form. It is always changing, always pushing the limits, always seeking to bring truth and beauty to the time. Hip-hop has a history and a culture, but it is up to the viewer to recognize that this history and culture are continuous, not stagnant.
ReplyDeleteThe juxtaposition of hip-hop and fine art is an interesting disruption of the cultural status quo. Talented former street artists like Keith Haring and Jean Michel Basquiat have been successful in bringing their work into the gallery and making hip-hop art mainstream and desirable among art enthusiasts and collectors (Lecture, 4/9/2012). The differences between the ideas of fine art and hip-hop align with the gap in class and high and low culture. The crossover of hip-hop into the galleries merges the cultures, creating a new hip-hop aesthetic. In his essay “The City in Public versus Private,” DJ Spooky says his goal as an artist is “about getting people to look outside the frames of reference that so many of us have been conditioned to accept” (Chang 149). Hip-hop inspired art does the same thing. It encourages and even forces many of us to look at both hip-hop and fine art differently. Beyond physical art, DJ Spooky draws comparisons to Biggie Smalls and Walt Whitman as “America’s premiere poets” (Chang 151). His ability to look past the cultural differences between the two to find how their work resembles each other is inspiring. It shows that fine art can be defined more broadly than it is in current society and that the hip-hop aesthetic can be appreciated as such.
ReplyDeleteAesthetics and fine art are not universal classifications of beauty, but political dividers that decide what is valuable, beautiful, and powerful within a society. Hip-hop aesthetics in particular allude to polyculturalism and lack of access and resources which contradict “white male heteronormative” aesthetics (Persley, lecture, 4/9/12). In order to provoke this “conversation about power: who has it, who could have it and who should”, Kehinde Wiley unexpectedly inserts Black, male, street models with hip-hop style into classical European paintings (Kehinde Wiley, Youtube). Hip-hop aesthetics breaking into the fine art world is not merely an artistic revolution, but a breakdown of many other sociopolitical boundaries. Nadine Robinson’s art brought diversity to MOMA where “there were really no Black faces” (Chang, 137). As a result, she brought forth questions concerning definitions of “normal” and “high class” in all of society, not just in gallery spaces. Similarly, Luis Gispert mixed the powerful, white archetype of the cheerleader with stereotypically “lower class” elements such as hip-hop style and “racial minorities” to question traditional aesthetics (Chang, 140). The goal of fine art is to get people to “look outside the frames of reference that many of us have been conditioned to accept” (Chang, 149). In the same way, hip-hop aesthetics challenge people to reconsider their default expectations in everyday life of what is normal and respected.
ReplyDeleteThe most interesting point or idea that I found in this week’s readings was in Paul D. Miller’s reading “The City in Public Versus Private: In a Scanner Darkly.” Miller connected the Notorious B.I.G and a minipoem written in 1855 called “Mannahatta.” This was interesting to me because Miller said that “In his {Walt Whitman} 1855 opus Leaves of Grass Whitman wrote a line Biggie could have said in the section titled “Songs of Myself” (Miller, pg. 151). Miller further correlated “Mannahatta” with art when he discussed how in 1925 one of America’s premiere painters, Charles Sheeler, decided to bring the poem to life with experimental filmmaker Paul Strand. They used the name of the minipoem, “Mannahatta,” to display the Manhattan skyline as a hectic, urban landscape. This section of the reading really interested me because it took an artist that I’m familiar with, Biggie Smalls, and related him to different types of fine art from as far back as 1855. The Lydia Lee reading also had a great quote from Sanford Biggers, one of the panelists in the roundtable that correlates with the ideas in the Miller reading: “Some of my work deals with the syncretism of many different cultures, but often I make connections between modern art and historical works” (Lee, pg. 138). This quotation shows that even fine art influenced by hip-hop can be traced back to sources of inspiration that come from all time periods. This week’s readings made it interesting for me to explore more into the influences that make these pieces of art so groundbreaking and influential.
ReplyDeleteHip Hop has influenced so many elements of life and many different cultures to where fine art is now group “Black Violin” mixed classical with Hip Hop to help the reconstruction of stereotypes and classifications. Breaking the grounds of hip hop and anything street being considered low class and gritty, and anything high art and classical is considered fine art. Artist such as Keith Haring and Jean Michael Basquiat were two of the main to become main stream. Reference to American Graffiti: Claiming Public Space (2/20). This goes hand in hand with graffiti artists that shifted from painting urban space to canvas in the late 1970s, many gallery owners and museum curators began to take notice. There are messages in graffiti and installations just as there are in a Monet (N.H.P lecture 4.9.12). To be able to talk about great artists such as Kehinde and Banksy those are able to sell their paintings for $50,000- $1.7 million, you must understand the history and influence they have. Most influences of Hip Hop art come from the Harlem Renaissance 1920s- 1930s era. African American and non- African American artist were inspired by jazz music and Black Nationalism. When MC’s and DJ’s made their mark with their talents and displaying a commonality for social change, no one ever said that actual artist couldn’t do the same. “Hip-hop was about grabbing the mic- so I grabbed the mic and made these paintings” (Chang 137)
ReplyDeleteArt in the world of hip hop has had an interesting journey. When first starting off in the early 70’s, graffiti lined subways and walls on street corners. It was frowned upon by many as it was thought to cause a distraction and not even be looked at as art. But since graffiti artists shifted from an urban space to canvas, gallery owners and museum curators noticed (Lecture). Two pioneer street artists that went mainstream are Keith Haring and Jean-Michel Basquiat. These men paved the way for people like Banksy to earn up to 1.7 million for some of their pieces (Lecture). I think that this shows how far hip hop art has come. A problem with this though is, that even though these pieces of art are considered “street” art because of the influences that went into the work and the setting in which it was created, it is also “fine” art because these pieces are beings shown in galleries and museums around the globe at outstanding prices. This makes it difficult for the average income person to purchase these works of art. The contradiction of “street” art making it to a gallery or museum is that works in a gallery or museum are stereotypically seen as “high” art like Picasso and Warhol. We as a society I think are still trying to digest the transition of what can be seen as “high” or “street” art and that’s why there is a contradiction. Hip hop art has influences from all over the place like a DJ who samples from other artists to make a beat. As we saw in the video of Kehinde Wiley, he sampled the Napoleon Crossing of the Alps painting and replaced Napoleon with a African man with current military attire. Also, Kanye West and Jay-Z’s video for Otis features a big American flag designed by Riccardo Tisci, an Italian fashion designer. Tisci also made the album cover for their album Watch The Throne.
ReplyDeleteHip-hop influenced art projects have become increasingly popular among numerous art collectors worldwide. This has lead to the art form, once known as a nuisance and an eye sore, to certain pieces becoming worth thousands of dollars. One of the pioneers of putting hip-hop art in major art galleries was Fab 5 Freddy, a Brooklyn graffiti artist that started tagging in the 1970’s. He, along with many other Hip-hop artists of the 1970’s, captured the essence of the Hip-hop aesthetic which includes aspects such as the polyculturalism, codification of language, and the lack of safety in Hip-hop (Hodges Persely). Soon after the introduction and success of Fab 5 Freddy’s artwork in professional galleries, many street artists followed in his path and started to showcase and sell their art in galleries. This caused controversy among certain Hip-hop originators because the original point of hip-hop art was to showcase issues like poverty and racial discrimination within the communities with major Hip-hop followings. Which has lead to the original intended audience of Hip-hop art to not be able to afford the works of art that depict their own struggles. Hip-hop artists such as Kehinde Wiley and Banksy have sold paintings for prices that range from $50,000 to $1.7 million, way out of the price range for the average citizen (Hodges Persely). Hip-hop art forms are not limited to just paintings, some artists have been using other art mediums such as video projection, stickers, installations, and sculptures. The high asking prices for Hip-hop art has shown an increase of not only of it’s overall popularity, but also it’s transition into becoming mainstream in everyday American popular culture.
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ReplyDelete“The question and the answer are left up to you to decide,” (Chang 157). This should be the definition of hip-hop. The reason why I say that is because hip-hop is so unique that it stirs different feelings in different people. It has different meaning to someone who lived in the 80’s and to someone one who is just getting into it. I personally feel like there is no right or wrong it this situation. Hip-hop aesthetics and fine art are an example of this quote. First of all the hip-hop movement in “fine arts” started in the 1970s. Hip-hop inspired many artists across racial, ethnic, gender, and class lines (Lecture 4/9). I feel when an artist produces an artwork, they are trying to get there viewpoint out to the world, how they feel about a certain situation, (sounds similar to all the other elements we talked about in this class thus far). But at the end of the day they want us as their audience to look at the work of art and have our own viewpoint on it, they intended for us to have a different emotions. This is why I believe the difference between “street” and “fine art” is made by the eye of the beholder. That’s what makes this field so special, through one painting these artist are able to convey multiple messages. Nadine Robinson referring to his artwork says, “I put it out there for everyone to enjoy or to contemplate or to think about it,” (Change 147). Going along with this, in class we talked about how some of this artworks are worth $50000-1.7 million (Lecture 4/9). What I don’t understand is how can curators price them. Don’t get me work it’s great that these artists are getting rewarded for their hard work. But how can you price something that has different meaning to different people. For an example I personally think The Mona Lisa is ugly, I wouldn’t pay all that money to buy it, and what I find as good work (Kehinde Wiley: Notorious B.I.G oil canvas) someone else might think as unpleasant. Paintings are meant to be priceless we as a society have to put a price label on everything to be able to put it in a class. Can you imagine how much enjoying artworks would be if we just admired them for the art not the price tag? And you might not agree with me on this, but like an artwork this blog is suppose make you think and decode your own message.
ReplyDeleteFine art in Hip-Hop have can be used in many ways. It can be used to send a message out on the street or it can be used as one of the biggest political ads ever. These two aspects of fine art are great for the genre of hip-hop. On the other hand there still needs to be more hip-hop influenced art in museums. “In terms of museums, there’s still a learning curve that is being produced by a generation of artists influenced by hip-hop. To date, it’s been maybe a couple of shows.” (Chang, 145) In my opinion I think that if some museums start focusing on a younger crowd than fine art in hip-hop art could become “the next big thing.” In addition I think that if museums start focusing on the younger generation and there style of art, the youth would enjoy art much more than they do now. “I do think that pragmatically speaking a lot of museums and institutions, or a few at least, are more welcome to the idea of this more youth culture- based work.” (Chang, 145) If institutions and museums are open to the idea I think that they should go ahead and do it. I think that fine art in hip-hop plays a huge role in the music genre. It helps spreads the music, make a positive image for the genre, and helps people realize that there is much more to hip-hop rather than just the music.
ReplyDeleteIn the 1970’s is when Graffiti artists shifted from urban paintings to painting on Canvas. Back during this time, the whole aspect of Fine Art was not approved of due to all of the graffiti that was going on. A couple of the first artists to go mainstream were Keith Haring and Jean Basquiat. When the artwork was being done as graffiti, not only was it considered illegal, but also many people had problems with it. Now that they have took it and turned it into actual canvas paintings and so on, the artwork is actually now in galleries and bringing the artists quite a bit of money. There are generally two forms of artists. Either the ones that are auto-didactic (self- taught), which is the majority of the artists, or the other artists got their name and great at art by going to a great university for art and getting a top of the line degree in the art field. When it comes to the price of this art, the average price of a painting of an inspired hip-hop artists that is in the gallery and has an agent goes for about $1,000. Then you have the top of the line paintings that bring in anywhere from $50,000 to the 1.7 Million mark or higher. The two biggest well known hip-hop artists are Wiley and Banksy. They both are self- taught artists with their own unique and amazing style.
ReplyDeleteLate 1970’s Hip-hop culture was marked by a period when graffiti artists began to shift from working with urban space to canvas. Keith Haring and Jean Michel Basquiat were two artists who shifted into the mainstream (NHP Lecture 4/9/12). “ During the period of the late 1970’s NYC spent more than one hundred million dollars to combat the idea of private expression in public spaces, and from the result, a new art form was born. The city didn’t invest in training artists or developing young minds; it went to war with kids to keep public spaces blank,” (Miller 153). Graffiti before this point was associated with poverty and criminalization. Artists were punished for expressing their opinions and themselves because of the use of public space. Once considered an “urban menace” now graffiti artists were making thousands of dollars from works they had in galleries (NHP Lecture 4/9/12). During the emergence of graffiti, it was rare you could find an artist with professional training who would go out and use public spaces as their canvas. While many hip- hop artists today are auto- didactic or self- trained, other artists inspired by hip- hop have been professionally trained at the top art schools in the world (NHP Lecture 4/9/12). Nadine states, “I wanted to do work that didn’t say ‘I’m a Black woman,’ but still proud of where I was coming from. Hip- hop was about grabbing the mic so I grabbed the mic and made these paintings I call ‘Boom paintings’ or sculptural installations and let my voice be heard,” (Yee 137). Many artists who were once committed to painting experiences of class and racial difference have now selected to capitalize on the popularity of Hip- hop art (NHP Lecture 4/9/12). As artists gained recognition and moved into mainstream art while they still longed to reveal their situation and their beliefs it was more accepted by galleries to be all about Hip- hop. Hip- hop culture was the craze at the time and this “street art” was what people desired. As these artists gained freedom to display their art without any backlash they now were required to be all about Hip- hop culture and it seemed difficult for gallery owners to accept their opinionated art.
ReplyDeleteHip-hop culture has developed its own style of art and ways of expression. Overtime these styles have blended into American culture and can be found in many different aspects whether in a museum, on the street, or in a school, hip-hop art can be seen every day. Like with hip-hop music, it was a struggle for artists to break out onto the scene and be accepted and acknowledged for their work. “[Their works were excoriated in the press as ‘victim art’ and it really changed the discourse among visual artists. Museums started to retrench because of this external criticism, and artists were also concerned about being labeled as a Black artist, as a woman artist, as an artist who deals with AIDS, etc. So these subjects became taboo” (Chang 135). Artists had to overcome many obstacles to get recognized and in order to express themselves sometimes they had to play down their roles in society. In many lectures we’ve discussed graffiti and this is a big part of hip-hops art history. “There was a deep tension between public space and private expression. During the period of the late 1970s NYC spent more than one hundred million dollars to combat the idea of private expression in public spaces, and from the result, a new art form was born. The city didn’t invest in training artists or developing young minds; it went to war with kids to keep public spaces blank. Today, you can see who won the war: advertising adopted the same strategies as the kids, and no modern bus or train would be complete without a bumper-to-bumper slew of ads” (Chang 153). This further shows that hip-hop is only accepted by most when it can create a profit and be used to benefit someone. Most of hip-hop art is contemporary or modern. Many hip-hop artists are focused on stepping outside the line and defying the norm. Paul Miller says that “As an artist, a lot of what I do is about getting people to look outside the frames of reference that so many of us have been conditioned to accept” (Chang 149). This is what sets hip-hop fine art apart from many different genres.
ReplyDeleteHip-hop fine art has taken off in recent year. The art used to sell for a very cheap price because consumers were afraid that this art was not going to get off the ground. The hesitation of consumers is what DJ Spooky was talking about when he said “one of the things I started to do with my work is not so much try to mimic hip hop… but make something new that connects hip-hop and other things in the world.” (Chang 149) It is about connecting the non-hip-hop world with the hip-hop world. Spooky samples famous art pieces in his art so the non-art world can relate as well at the hip-hop world. Though Spooky was talking about his art, his quote could be related to consumers and the way they approached hip-hops fine art. Now, top artists, like Kenhinde Wiley and Banksy, have sold their pieces any where from $50,000 to $1.7 million. (Lecture 4/9) “The question an answer are left up to you to decide”. (Chang 157)
ReplyDeleteMany artist use hip hop in their art, whether it is a mainstream artist such as Kehinde Wiley, and Banksy (lecture 4-9), or an up and coming artist out of the streets. They incorporate hip hop in their work by taking peices of the african culture (such as the rasta colors) all the way to stictly painting artists and selling the paintings for thousands of dollars. Some artists make fifty bucks and some make up to almost 2 million, just off of one painting. Sometimes when you make it maintstream more wealthy people want to buy your art work. If you paint an awesome pic of LL Cool J, LL himself might want to buy it from you (depends on the artist). It makes me happy when someone can make an awesome graffiti mural (on a canvas or not) and it makes it into a gallery. Some people cant get enough of that style and some people down right despise it and call it trash. If we had a hip hop or graffiti section in spencer i would definently go and check it out. In my eyes, some "street" art is "fine" art.
ReplyDeleteOne normative view of hip-hop has been that it is "street," that there is some ruggedness and crime associated with anything hip-hop inspired. Though many works of art that derive from hip-hop culture, such as music, dance, art ect, have a deeper meaning than what the dominant narrative might give them credit for, the legitimacy of these works are often questioned due to the origin of their inspiration. When watching the videos on youtube about Banksy, Kehinde Wiley,Oliver Keyes, and Vernon Brown the question of what is "street" and what is "classic" becomes relevant. Many of the artists are inspired by the same subjects such as politics, economy, social inequality and more. However, the space in which they choose to display their art plays a role in defining what is accepted by society. Banksy uses the city as his canvas, his identity remains a mystery, and he uses his art to make many social statements. His work is unbelievably talented however when people talk about it they say things like, “he vandalized the wall” or “he walked right in and vandalized the museum.” He is more often than not associated with crime and vandalism. As I watched the interview with Oliver Keyes I realized that the issues that inspire his art are similar to what Banksy addresses in his work. The difference is that Keyes puts his on canvas. He has his art hanging in a gallery and is able to go on camera and talk about the meaning of his paintings. Even so, he also talks about how he researched art he found on the street and how he pulls from those artists as well. So the question becomes who determines the legitimacy of a work of art and why is that group of people given the power to choose for the rest of society?
ReplyDeleteHip-hop art used to be thought of as vandalism and trash. Now it’s being sold in museums for hundreds of thousands of dollars. Keith Harring and Jean M. Basq were two of the first street artists who shifted into mainstream in the late 1970s (Lecture). Many hip-hop artists are self-trained, drawing your attention to the larger picture of what’s going on in society at that time which is what makes it “urban art.” However, street art pursuits feel that if it’s showing in a gallery, it shouldn’t be considered “street art”, which to a street artists feels like it takes away from the values of the product (Lecture). Street art challenges the idea of private versus public. “…..first introduced to art through street art like graffiti and hip-hop symbols like the boom-box. However, today hip-hop art is a genre of art. Artists are frequently forming bridges between private and public and concepts of “street” and “fine” in their art” (Chang 137). Sanford Biggers made the comment that street art was a way he could “communicate” with his friends, which you could bridge to communicating with people of higher social or economic status as well. Pictures, portraits, sculptures, videos, all being art, as an artist, tell what you want them to tell people. If you want to tell about race, ethnicity, money, power, you’ll find a way to communicate that among all statuses. Sanford says in his article that, “Because it brings that demographic into the museum, and a lot of museums do not attract that kind of crowd” (Sanford 145). This has made the concept of what art really is broaden what is worthy enough to be in a museum. As most artists on the Hip-hop side are black, or considered “black” because that’s what many associate hip-hop with, hip-hop in museums still doesn’t eliminate the problem of the racial and ethnic line. As the work they make is expensive, people of their own class can’t even afford to buy it.
ReplyDelete“During the period of the late 1970’s NYC spent more than one hundred million dollars to combat the idea of private expression in public spaces, and from the result, a new art form was born” (Chang 153). “The city didn’t invest in training artists or developing young minds; it went to war with the kids to keep public spaces blank” (Chang 153). What people used to consider a menace to society, graffiti has made its way from the streets to commercials and museums, and is slowly being recognized as a possible inclusion in the fine art category. Hip-Hop artists have had exhibits in national museums including: The Bronx Museum, The Museum of Science and Industry, and The Smithsonian (Lecture 4/9). Some of the famous Hip-Hop artists paintings will sell for anywhere from $50,000- $1.7 million dollars (Lecture 4/9). Hip-Hop artists like Keith Haring and Jean Michael Basquait were the first push boundaries in art, and others like Kehinde Wiley and Banks continue to follow suit. If the one hundred million dollars would have been spent on getting places for these children to perfect their skills, where would Hip-Hop art be today? Would it be like today where it is just starting to be considered fine art, or would it be much more popular than we could even imagine?
ReplyDeleteGraffiti has also what a long with hip hop for as long as it been around. In the late 70’s the graffiti artists started to make the move from an urban space to a canvas (lecture). The artists would add elements of hip hop aesthetics into their art (lecture). Hip hop is usually considered to be low class while fine art is considered to being high class. Through their paintings the artists started to disrupt the nations “high” and “low” cultures in the mainstream (lecture). Some of the artists that are popular for their hip hop paintings are Kehind Wiley and Banksy. Kehind Wiley and Banksy have sold paintings ranging from $50,000 to $400,000 (lecture).
ReplyDeleteHip-hop art used to be not be regarded highly. When thinking of what could be considered "hip-hop art", one would probably think of vandalism/graffiti. However, these pieces of art are now being sold in museums and at auctions for thousands of dollars. Dating back from the beginning of hip-hop art, Keith Haring and Jean Michel Basquiat were two of the first street artists who shifted in to the mainstream (Lecture, 4/8). This was big for the hip-hop art community, as it paved the way for others to do the same and get recognition for their talents. Interestingly enough, hip-hop artists are deemed to be "auto-didadtic" (lecture, 4/8). This means that the artists are self trained, as they teach themselves the very craftsmanship of their art work. They usually relate their work to conceptual ideas about what’s going on in present day society as well. These works of art are usually determined as “street art”, as they challenge the idea of public and private space. Brooklyn, NY is one of the centers of street art in our world. It’s almost contradicting when street art is shown in a gallery, because then it is no longer on the “street”. It doesn’t bother me, though, because it just means that these artists are getting recognition and some are even getting paid. Hopefully this form of hip-hop art will continue to grow and prosper, as it is a great self expression of emotion and current events.
ReplyDeleteHip-hop art has gradually been gaining popularity throughout the couple of decades and it has recently emerged as a huge industry that generates millions upon millions of dollars. This began to take place in the late 1970s, as “graffiti artists shifted from painting urban spaces to canvas’… many gallery owners and museum curators began to take notice” (NHP Lecture 4/9). This transition from it being considered as a form of vandalism to a piece of respected and valued art is what helped the movement take off. Another reason for hip-hop fine arts’ success is the large following by (generally speaking) younger generations. In the reading Chang explains “I do think that pragmatically speaking a lot of museums and institutions, or a few at least, are more welcome to the idea of this more youth culture-based work” (145). A lot of collectors are willing to pay large sums of money to attain some of these art pieces so the high demand keeps the art coming. As explained lecture, the “average price of a painting from an emerging hip-hop inspired artist who is represented by a gallery is $1000… Banksy and Kehinde Wiley have sold pieces ranging from $50,000 to $1.7 million” (NHP 4/9). One issue regarding “street art” that makes it into galleries is that it is no longer just a beautiful piece of work to be admired by the public; rather it is seen as just another way to generate money for the individual.
ReplyDeleteAs graffiti’s popularity grew in the late 1970’s, it made a transition from urban spaces to canvas. Once making more of a transition to canvas, Hip-hop art began to disrupt notions of “high” and “low” culture in the mainstream art world too (Prof NHP – 4/9/2012). Hip-hop art is very expensive, and when thinking about how before when graffiti was only done in public spaces, it was seen as very “low class”, shows how much it contradicts and could inspire other artists to cross class lines. It is very contradictory when so called “street art” makes it to a gallery or museum space because “street art” and Hip-hop have both always been criminalized. Therefore, it is very unusual that artwork inspired with criminalized-connotations attached to it could be seen and purchased at such prominent spaces like museums or galleries. Graffiti could have never made the positive transitions that it has if it weren’t for people like Nadine Robinson. Nadine Robinson mentions how she looked at art and realized that she never saw any black faces. She also mentioned how it just inspired her even more to go out and challenge “high and low “ class lines (Chang 137).
ReplyDeleteThis week’s topic has been the most interesting to me thus far. I was very surprised by the relationship between the two because I feel they aren’t as obviously tied as perhaps hip-hop and dance or other topics we’ve discussed so far. Many hip-hop street artists have taken their work and transformed it and moved it into the galleries. What was once an “urban menace” is now worth thousands of dollars (Lecture, 4/9). The most interesting piece of information I took away from this week was the realization that “when hip-hop is played on a classical instrument it becomes music, it becomes legitimized and it becomes art” (Lecture, 4/9). In discussion of the difference in high class and low class, the relationship between “street” art of any kind and what is often deemed as high class comes into play. In performances such as the Black Violin, you can really see this at work. While the differences between a piece of art on the street and one in a gallery may seem large at first, the meaning remains the same. The meaning to which an artist places on a piece does not change based on its location if they have chosen to place it in a gallery. While many artists choose not to have their work displayed in “high class” locations, those that do often do so in order to further bring attention to their message and to their meaning.
ReplyDeleteAs graffiti artists shifted form painting urban space to canvas in the late 1970s, many gallery owners and museum curators began to take notice (lecture, 4/9). Hip hop art on urban space is known as graffiti, and this form of art had negative connotations, no matter how beautiful the work was. It was done on public space, and was there for illegal. When artists, such as Keith Haring and Jean Michel Basquait (lecture, 4/9), starting taking their street art and making it more mainstream, they were able to break through the negative stereotypes that hip hop art had. By creating art in a legal way, these artists were able to start selling their work to museums and galleries for thousands of dollars (lecture 4/9). Museums even had hip-hop art exhibits, which is a huge step for the artists that were once known as “street” (lecture, 4/9).
ReplyDeleteIn Lecture on 4/9, we talked about Kehinde Wiley, and that he was one of the highest paid hip hop artists. By looking at some of his work online, I can understand why. The bright colors and intricate designs that create the background are so beautiful and have the same vibes that the bright colors and intense designs that graffiti murals have. In Wiley’s artwork, these are the backgrounds for portraits of famous African American people posing and wearing different vernacular clothes that show their personal and cultural style. I really enjoyed the fine art unit in class, because it is great to see how the street artists were able to bring there styles into fine art and earn a name for themselves.
Hip-Hop Aesthetics and Fine Art Blog
ReplyDeleteEmma Stoeckle
When people think of fine art, they usually think elegance, expensive, “high” art, and maybe even “white”. The fact is that art, in general, IS racialized, genderized, and classed. Artists that centralize hip-hop in their art are using it in the same way a MC’s uses their lyrics, or B-Boy/B-Girl uses his/her dance floor, to create an identity and give a voice to the “low” end. As graffiti artists started shifting from painting urban spaces to canvas, many galleries and museum curators began to take notice. (Lecture) This changed the way people looked at and thought about contemporary art. (Chang 135) Finally, museums started welcoming the idea of this more youth-based work…Because it brought that demographic into the museum. (Chang 145) Artists like Sanford Biggers, who built a 16x16 dance floor with a mandala on it, and was asked to have it presented in a museum, or Nadine Robinson, who created the Tower Hollers in 2001, and showed at MOMA (Chang 137) use bridges to cross hip-hop into the fine art world. They use hip-hop’s aesthetics such as codification of language in their images, sociopolitical context and legacy in their works, illusion, and polyculturalism. (Lecture) The fact that these artists are usually self-trained also adds to the hip-hop aspect in their work, whereas MC’s, DJ’s, and B-Boys/B-Girls are auto-didactic. (Lecture) The great part of hip-hip in the fine arts is that it disrupts the “high” and “low” categorization of art. It allows poverished persons equality to show their talents. However, the average price of a painting from an emerging hip-hop inspired artist represented by a gallery/museum is $1,000. (Lecture) These prices put artists at the top of the art world hierarchy. (Lecture) This essentially re-enforces the “high” and “low” arts. Ironically, the people of the middle-working class, which these artists are from, cannot afford the paintings. (Lecture)
Aesthetics is a tricky subject in whatever discipline you approach it. Hip-hop aesthetics are equally difficult. Aesthetics studies the nature and value found in something beautiful or, as some may define, pleasurable (lecture 4/9). A token of hip-hop aesthetic would be medium of beauty that contains in it clues and codes similar to those in cultural hip-hop. Fine Art could be defined as that art which is mainly appreciated for its aesthetic qualities. Thus, fine art that is hip-hop is art that is appreciated for its aesthetic qualities that contains social clues to the culture of hip-hop.
ReplyDeleteA specific example would be a piece by Jean Michel Basquiat. Originally a graffiti artist, his works began to be recognized (by whoever recognizes these things) for their aesthetic value, and thus began to gain attention in the fine art community. His pieces keep with it cultural and social clues of wall art, tagging, and rebellion that lead back to hip-hop, yet are done with the purpose to raise aesthetic questions.
In Lydia Yee’s discussion in Total Chaos, there is an interesting discussion between the panelists about how there art has moved away from hip-hop. One could argue that all of their work had hip-hop aspects and each artist came from a hip-hop background that their art was hip-hop fine art. Yet, what we see is that most of the panelists did not want to be defined in this way. Or even, hip-hop original essence was dead, so it would be hard to tap into ‘hip-hop’ in their works. Most of the panelists seems to want to align themselves more with fine art than hip-hop.
It is an interesting topic to relate Hip-hop to the fine arts because it has always been viewed in somewhat of a different and separate fashion from the fine arts. In its first stages, Hip-hop art seemed to be the clash to the typical fine arts you would see in a museum. It was a rugged and rebellious expression from the street, usually in the form of graffiti. Eventually in the early 70s (Persley lecture, 4/9) some of the street artists began to shift their canvas from the street to the blank space to create what would be considered as the first forms of Hip-hop fine art. Now, because Hip-hop art began on the streets, that does not necessarily mean it is less significant than a painting you might find on display in a museum. In fact, one could consider the art of the streets just as liable source of historical documentation as any museum. Where better to learn about the conditions and advancement of a city or people than in the very streets they live in. Adding on, the symbolism of street art has made huge contributions to the hip-hop culture and to the people in the impoverished conditions of which hip-hop was formed around. The best example of this can be seen in the “Crack is Wack” imagery. This message was not only a work of art, but became a movement to get crack out of the streets and out of the Hip-hop community. That, to me, is a piece of art worthy of being on display in any museum. I think what separates street art from the fine hip-hop art is the clear adaption and portrayal of message from merely grabbing a spray can and “redecorating” a public space. Much like the contradictions and misunderstandings that have faced and continue to face Hip-hop music, Hip-hop fine art too is often misunderstood. Yet, as we progress and become more acceptant of Hip-hop culture, we will also see a greater shift and acceptance of hip-hop art.
ReplyDeleteFine art can be anything that is displayed in a museum like drawings, paintings and sculptures. When we link Hip-Hop and Fine art this two words together, it comes out with different sparks. Normally when I think what I can call it fine art in Hip-Hop culture. Graffiti on the streets comes to my mind first. It is not only because this graffiti works comes from the streets. It is also because this is the way that the artists are telling the stories through their eyes and how they see it. Some of the artists are using Hip-Hop as their idea like Wiley, Biggers, Lady in Pink and Farley. Some of the artists are selling their works with an unreachable price that makes it not looks like they are from the streets. Nadine thinks that art is “based too much in popular culture”. These statements can be connected to luis’ comment about the art that is being seen by museums is being strongly controlled (Chang 145). Nadine’s words make me think does Hip- Hop’s graffiti comes from fine art or fine art comes from graffiti. The answer of this question is not very important. The important thing is Hip-Hop and fine art comes with new and different sparks.
ReplyDeleteFine artists who bring hip-hop into their works create bridges between “low” art (street art) and classical, elegant “high” art (fine art) by using a language that relates to both (NHP Lecture 4/9). They disrupt shifts between the high art and the low art. These bridges were created in the late 1970s when all of the elements of hip-hop were beginning to emerge (NHP Lecture 4/9). Artists such as Keith Haring and Jean Michael Basquiat were two of the first street artists who moved into the mainstream world with other artists, such as Paul Miller, following closely behind. Miller says that he encourages merging street art with fine art by “getting people to look outside the frames of reference that so many of us have been conditioned to accept” (Chang 149).
ReplyDeleteOne major issue with hip-hop art moving from the street to the gallery is that it becomes very expensive as once considered “urban menaces” are now making thousands or even millions off of their art (NHP Lecture 4/9). This means that few people who appreciate hip-hop in art because they are surrounded by hip-hop culture can actually afford to buy this art. Another problem is that hip-hop art came into galleries and museums before the curators who knew how to appreciate and describe this element in art (NHP Lecture 4/9). Luckily, a new generation will soon be taking over these jobs and will be able to understand hip-hop in art a little better.
Hip-hop Art is an emerging force. While it was once look down upon as vandalism and destructive, now it is becoming a considered a “fine” art that can be seen in museums and across galleries all over the world. Hip-hop influenced artist Wiley and Bansky have set the stage for emerging artists making thousands of dollars on their works (4/9 lecture). Hip hop art also has many different forms. Stencils, wheat painting, and sculptures are just a few examples of the many different sects than can be considered Hip-hop “fine” art. However, the emergence of Hip-hop as a fine art is just a perfect example of the breakthrough spirit that Hip-hop culture itself has possessed all along. When Hip-hop was once considered an underground culture, it is now at the forefront of pop culture. Many museums have recognized this and have attempted to bring in the younger audience (Sanford 149). However sadly, whilst the museums have become more accepting of Hip-hop art it has done little to remove the large gap between the underprivileged lower-class (that so often associates itself with Hip-hop) and the upper class.
ReplyDeleteHip-hop and fine art is a great combination. Hip-hop and fine art wasn’t always around. “By the early 70’s some of the street artists began to shift their canvas from the street to the blank space to create what would be considered as the first forms of Hip-hop fine art” (Lecture 4/9). Hip-hop and fine art used to be two separate concepts. Now, they are combined together, opening a whole new aspect of art. A huge contradiction between street art and fine art that hip-hop brings together is the model. Hip-hop artists use models from the streets and put them on a canvas in a historical background. People from the streets are very different than what was originally in the historical painting. That’s what makes this art so interesting. “Artists are frequently forming bridges between private and public, and concepts of ‘street’ and ‘fine’ in their art” (Chang 137). Sanford Biggers says, “art was his way of communicating with and educating his friends,” and this is what a lot of artists use street art for (Chang 138). Hip-hop artists tend to explore in all different directions when writing music. I’ve heard religious references in songs, historical figures, and more. Personally, I’m not surprised hip-hop and fine art have finally merged together.
ReplyDeleteToday, we see hip-hop inspire many artists across racial, ethnic, gender, and class lines. Many artists who were once committed to painting experiences of class and racial difference have wanted to capitalize on popular art. Many modern day fine art that is inspired by hip-hop is still seen as spectacular because the artwork itself is amazing. Artists such as Kehndle Wiley create art that creates a bridge between street art and fine art. The subjects of many of his paintings are people from the inner city. This represents street art and the hip-hop aspect of the painting. Wiley also will create elaborate backgrounds and classic American poses and dress for the subjects in his paintings, which represents the “fine” art aspect of his masterpieces. As graffiti artists shifted from painting urban space to canvas in the late 1970s, many gallery owners and museum curators began to take notice (4/9). These people who ultimately get to choose what goes into their galleries assume the artwork to be inaccessible to the average person by making the price for a piece of fine art very high. If Hip-hop fine art is made so expensive, then the people that genuinely grew up surrounded by hip-hop culture in the inner cities of New York would not be able to afford the art that represents them. “The expression of self is unique in the people it represents and how the idea of being ‘all city’ was the driving force for so many artists…”(Chang 138). This idea of being successful and known counteracts the idea to remain “real”. This is a problem for many artists because they want their art to be known, but also made available to the people who inspired the artwork. Because mainstream hip-hop art is made so unavailable to the people inspired it, many artists prefer to remain underground so that their artwork is accessible to the average person.
ReplyDeleteFine artists in hip-hop create bridges between private and public notions of "street" and "fine" in their art by their reputation and their strong social links to the hip-hop culture. As mentioned in lecture, "many artists who were once committed to painting experiences of class and racial difference have now selected to capitalize on the popularity of hip-hop art (Lecture 4-9). " Keith Haring began his career doing "street" art and received no compensation for his work. People began to notice his art and his reputation grew causing his work to become valuable. Art is an interesting commodity because some of the simplest pieces can be seen as the best work. It all depends on how public reacts to your work in pursuit of being a successful artist. HIp-hop is just recently becoming more mainstream and more popular within our society. With this being the case, hip-hop related art has become more accessible and is being produced in a greater volume. Without demand there is no supply, so hip-hop art has become a commodity and there are now more opportunities than ever to have your hip-hop art showcased (Lecture 4-9).
ReplyDeleteHip-Hop culture and the aesthetics that comprise its recognition are constantly evolving and transcending into different societal realms. From DJ culture to fine art, its evident how hip-hop has established a loud voice, crescendoing from its historically restrained past within American society. L.A. artist Sanford Biggers states, “I looked at hip-hop as not just the music itself, but the latest installment in a long tradition of African-American vernacular” (Chang 137). In the 1970's hip-hop art transformed from urban graffiti to canvas. Artists like Keith Haring and Jean-Michel Basquiat were two main proprietors of hip-hop's fine art transition from urban space to galleries (NHP Lecture 4/9/12). People began to recognize the credibility of hip-hop artists and thus establish parallels with artists such as Monet, when it comes to social commentary, vision, and craft (NHP 4/9). Hip-hop culture/art has always had an uphill battle finding its niche and credibility within society. The commodity of hip-hop in fine art, for example, is sometimes scorned by the older generations, but praised by many hip-hop figures for establishing its cultural respect and relevance in main-stream markets across the world. The inclusion in world-markets and contagious spread of hip-hop in media and fine art throughout the globe, is a result of its disparate contributions, linked with a past of immigration and polyculturalistic connections that created both America and hip-hop (Change 150).
ReplyDeleteArt has always been a fascination of mine, but I would have never thought of Hip-Hop to have evolved into art. Art is a fascinating way to express your feeling through a more personal and unique way. Hip-Hop art has come a long way since 1970, and continues to expand. Growing up in a small town, I never had a lot of opportunities to go to art galleries or to be able to really show my interest in art. Art can be thought as an older age interest, but what people find is a lot of youth are inspired by artwork and learn from it. Sanford makes a very good point in that he likes that the Bronx and Harlem have incorporated that idea, and have started bringing in more of a youth base to their museums. (Chang 145) In “Between the Studio and the Street”, I really took interest into how each artist came into their work and what guided their interest. As we talked about earlier in this semester, graffiti was used as a way for youth to express themselves and also to make their art abilities known, and Sanford was one of those individuals. Not only was he brought into hip-hop by his sisters East Coast music, but he did a lot of graffiti work too. Sanford says, “I looked at hip-hop as not just the music itself but the latest installment in a long tradition of African American vernacular culture.” (Chang 137) When he said that it showed me that he has a total different outlook on hip-hop that other individuals don’t have; he relates rap to conversations, poets, and did a spinoff of Public Enemy to inspire his work. I would have never place hip-hop with art, but now that I have gotten introduced to it, I find it super fascinating.
ReplyDeleteWhile graffiti was originally viewed by city government in NYC as an “urban menace,” by the 1980s it had become art to hip-hop practitioners and fans (Chang, 134-135). I understood the term “visually baroque aesthetic” (Chang, 133) as soon as I saw the art of Kehinde Wiley (Kehinde Wiley, Youtube). Wiley’s art often depicts black male models looking directly into the eyes of the viewers, challenging conceptions of what is “high” art, and what is “low,” or “street” art. In the Renaissance, particularly in the courts of King Henry VIII and Queen Elizabeth I, men’s fashion attained a prominence previously unheard of in western Europe. Men wore their wealth as openly as possible, first in imitation of the King (http://www.luminarium.org/renlit/tudorbio.htm), and then to try and impress his daughter (http://www.luminarium.org/renlit/ralegh.htm). The portraiture of the time, full of rich fabrics and ostentatious, exaggerated silhouettes, captures this. Wiley’s genius makes the connection, between men he encounters in “ordinary” situations, and the white men of the highest social strata of European history (Lecture notes, 4/09). He intertwines the hip-hop styles of self-adornment (bold colors, logos, exuberant jewelry, hats) with corresponding elements found in classical European portraiture. Even the patterning in the background of his paintings evokes a kind of graffiti. Wiley has “remixed” both hip-hop aesthetics and “classical” painting styles to make art that is more than the sum of its parts.
ReplyDeleteEarlier in the semester we looked at graffiti as a means of destroying public property or creating irreplaceable works of art depending on your perspective. Now looking at the aesthetics and fine art we push past the notion of immorality and ethics and focus solely the works of art themselves. The evolution of graffiti to fine art has revolutionized the way artwork is viewed. Just as many cultures from other countries have diverse forms of artwork so does hip-hop. The difference is that hip-hop blends the cultures to create a much more unique style of art where Latin phrases can inspire rap lyrics, or new tags. Since the embracement of hip-hop culture by the fine art community some paintings have sold for upwards of hundreds of thousands of dollars (lecture 4/9). As seen in the Carlos Mare139 video, now sculptures of graffiti are becoming exclusive. Images once classified as a nuisance are now ending up on the opposite side of the spectrum in museums. What is making the transition even more impressive is the notoriety some of these artists are getting. For instance, Banksy has produced graffiti that he no longer needs to sign because his style has reached a level of recognition that it is more easily identifiable (Lolla Lives). It can finally be said that the platform that was created to send messages to a specific community is being respected as such, no matter the operation styles.
ReplyDeleteWhen thinking about fine art more often than not, hip-hop is not the first thing that pops into ones mind. Hip-hop art and art work has changed very drastically since its origin in the 70’s. Before, hip-hop art was often disproved because the majority was viewed as gang symbolism or vandalism rather than a piece of artwork, graffiti. Hip-hop art is changing itself from a “street art” into a fine art. This transition has been made apparent when hip-hop influenced artists such as Kehind Wiley and Banksy have sold pieces of their artwork for upwards of $50,000. More so, many museums are beginning to feature hip-hop inspired art sections. Art Museums such as: The Bronx Museum, Museum of Science and Industry, The Smithsonian Museum, and the Museum of Contemporary Art (Lecture 4/9). Placing what was once a “street art” into the same capacity of artwork in museums shows how far it has truly come. As quoted in the Sanford reading, “I do think that programmatically speaking a lot of museums and institutions, or a few at least, are a little more welcoming to the idea of this more youth culture-based work. Because it brings that demographic into the museum, and a lot of museums do not attract that kind of crowd” (Sanford 145). This quote is a great testimony to how far hip-hop inspired art has come and shows promise for a future in hip-hop artwork. Showing that hip-hop is more than just a genre of music but rather an expression of art.
ReplyDeleteHip-hop is growing at a fast rate and is finally being respected in culture. Hip-hop used to be looked at as something that is in the ghetto. Also, graffiti used to be looked at as breaking the law and people would look down on it. I think it is a cool thing that people are starting to consider it art. It amazes me that in todays time, "Graffiti artists Kehind Wiley and Banksy have sold paintings ranging from $50,000 to 1.5 million dollars" (lecture 4/9). That shows how people are really seeing the beauty in these pieces and how there is room for a new kind of style of art. It is also cool that museums are currently having exhibits of hip-hop art to showcase it for the public. This is changing the public perspective on hip-hop because it is a new audience that gets to experience it. One great quote I wanted to end on is said by Paul Miller. He says that “As an artist, a lot of what I do is about getting people to look outside the frames of reference that so many of us have been conditioned to accept” (Chang 149). This is a great quote because he is basically saying how there has been negative stereotypes on hip-hop and graffiti. He is trying to change that and is doing a great job at it.
ReplyDelete