(Name borrowed from Oscar Wilde's play about societal obligations and deception)
Steering away from repeating the history of the deceptive and silly toils of vain, avant-guarde artists in the world of Wilde's Victorian era, I cannot help but compare it to today's version of the same game. The art world of today has that competitive, vain and deceptive quality to it. Many artists put on a face, forcing themselves to shamelessly self-promote, pretending to be more than they are and aggrandize their work. As much as that sounds like it sucks, it really is integral for success.
The deception being played in the art world is all about marketing your work to be more important than it really is. One Artist may sell his work for tens of thousands of dollars while another artist sells the same type of work for only hundreds. Neither one is more intricate, more beautiful or more expensive to make. The difference in their work is nothing more than hype and the value that society puts on it.
That hype is determined by a few vain, but important factors; an artist has to have the proper representation, marketing, and collectors whose names are well-known. When an Art Rep. sells work, they have to employ duplicity to arouse the collector. When one is marketing themselves, their work has to displayed in a fashionable way that makes it seem larger than life and something everyone wants... All of this, although a ploy and seemingly wrong, is necessary for my success. I must learn how to be earnest, while remaining humble... But how?
So, I rise to the occasion of improving my status and learn, learn, learn. As I sign up for many seminars and courses, surround myself with successful people, and search for the perfect Art Representative, my journey will likely be one of self-discovery more than anything. I ask for any and all help in this and encourage you all to criticize me to the fullest extent, so I remain humble, yet earnest.
