Who are you?

Who are you?

You just watched “Antiques Roadshow” and saw a man bring in a pen and ink drawing of an owl that has a signature starting with a big “p” on the bottom right.  He’s a golf pro with no knowledge of art but likes the piece so much he hung it on the powder room wall, just above the toilet, so he could enjoy it.  It was a gift from his aunt, and he likes it but was curious to know if it was worth anything.

“Well,” the expert says….. “This is actually a Picasso drawing from the sixties.”
“Picasso?”  The man’s eyes light up.
“Yes, he was prolific and though this is not from the most collectible period of his work, it still bears his signature.” The expert points to the “p” followed by a scribble.  “. . . And it is a Picasso, whose market is one of the most stable you;’ll find.”
The golfer, in a polo shirt and logo, eyes wide leans forward.
“In the current market, I’d value this anywhere from thirty five to fifty thousand dollars at auction.”
The golfer gasps.  “That’s a lot of Pings.”
“I’d say so,” replies the expert.

A viewer ejects himself from his recliner, like a medieval catapualt, and dashes into the living room.  “Marge, come in here.”
Marge, hands on hips and a look of ennui, shuffles into the living room.  “What is it?”
“Where’d you get this painting of the hands?” It is two manly hands reaching toward one another, one with an extended index.
“I dunno.  Think it belonged to that "queer" uncle of mine.  I found it in his attic when he died.”
“But it looks familiar. . . “  The man removes it from the wall. “I think this is worth something.”
So the next day the man consults a neighbor, a reitred literature professor, because she is the most worldly person he sort of knows.  When she sees it, smiles and tells him she'll just be a minute and returns with a thick red book, Janson’s History of Art, and opens to a picture of the Sistene chapel.  "It’s Michelangelo," she says.
“I knew it!” the man exclaims.
“Well, not quite,” the librarian counters.  “First, this is a fresco from the Italian Renaissance,” and this is on a stretched canvas . . .” She looks more closely “And looks like acrylic. . . I paint.”
“So its not a Michelangelo?”
“Highly doubtful.”
The man is crestfallen.
“It’s a pretty good attempt at hands though.  They aren’t easy to paint.”
“But its worth nothing.”
“Well, do you like it?”
“I guess.”
“Then that’s all that matters. . . Not everything is about exchange value.”

And so illustrates the difference between someone who views art as emerging from a particular historical time and place (and a possibly through socialist lens), the professor, and another who sees art as a commodity, something more valued for its monetary exchange rate than its content.  So, if you are reading this, it is because you have some interest in art, but is it a commercial or intellectual?  The answer to that will determine whether you want art as an investiment, like a 401K, or as something that engages you on some deeper level other than your wallet.  If you are someone looking to make the conscious decision to include art in your everyday life, to develop cultural literacy and even become a collector, you may learn something.  If you are someone who is already an art insider, I hope you find a fresh outlook.  My  point of view reflects someone who has spent a lot of time with art:  looking at it, reading about it and listening to knowledgeable professors share what they've learned.  I love it for what art makes me do---feel, both emotionally and physically, and think, something that continues to challenge the way I experience the world.