Dear Art Lovers: Not All Coverage Is Complimentary

Dear Brentwood Patch Readers:

Thanks for all the wonderful feedback on   Brentwood Spring Art Show: Decorative, Derivative and Executed by Dilettantes.

The interaction delights me.

It is a tribute to both the medium of the Internet and the community at large.

But let me remind our dear Patch readership that there was a day, not too very long ago, when feedback wasn’t all rehashed press releases and community boosterism. The homogenous nature of the blogosphere has lulled  people into thinking that all coverage is complimentary.

Yes, reviews are subjective. I stand by my assessment of quality and/or the lack thereof. That having been said, freedom of expression is precious, and while I may not like Mr. Stone’s work, I never claimed his lack of right to exhibit/paint/proselytize.

Democratic and open exhibitions like art fairs give artists of all calibers the chance to strut their stuff.

I review the work in front of me, not the story of the artist nor the story of creation.

I review the final product and, in such, the work must stand on its own.

Salesmanship in the art world revolves around stories and there’s the rub. Too many critics use a press release and meeting the artist as a crutch for their craft. It’s lazy writing and I’ll have none of it. 

I also refuse to contextualize quality. My barometer of quality is the same for the halls of LACMA as it is on the streets of Brentwood.

I would also like to remind Mr. Stone and his ardent defenders that there is no such thing as bad press. Coverage and debate is valuable.

It’s entirely possible that someone who never saw Mr. Stone’s work might have checked out his website after my review, decided I was bonkers and became his friend on Facebook.  It’s a fluid world.

Also, the art world is not for the thin-skinned. I’ll quote the Ari Gold character on Entourage when I say “Hug it out, bitch!”

To Ms. Schultz of the online art community TheWhole9.com: I applaud your efforts in bringing together a community of support and entrepreneurial promotion. But I’d remind you and your brethren that it is valuable to succeed not only in the ivory tower of your making but in the real world.

To Mr. Schubert, whose dulcet writing I most admired: As to the heaviness of my given middle name Maximilian, you’ll have to take that up with my parents. I also merely offered my, again, subjective opinion while never claiming to want to censor or burn Mr. Stone’s work.

Words can feel incendiary but they actually don’t combust like the match lighted by the crackpot preacher in Florida burning a copy of the Quran, or for that matter a woman who attacked a Gauguin painting in Washington D.C. recently. Do check out this coverage of an actual crackpot.

And now to the scatological section:

Mr. Cramer: I hardly think that 31 words  qualifies as “urination.”  There were well spaced Porta-Potties along at the fair for that. And, I’m sure to your dismay, I love the name Max.

Again and lastly to Mr. Stone: I don't agree that a little feedback is “taking a dump on Brentwood.”

Del Mano Productions will continue mounting the shows every Spring and Fall regardless of what I say.

Sales and contacts will continue to be made.

Convivial conversations on a Sunday afternoon with children and dogs and art won’t cease to exist after this kerfuffle.

Rest easy! Your reputation is really not as gossamer as you may think.  You have wonderful and passionate supporters and for that you should be grateful.

And oh, Adam, here are your artists: Diego Rivera, Frida Kahlo, Pablo Picasso and Salvador Dali.

And I echo your sentiments: Time to paint!

Peace out.