Representational Art and Making Meaning

Lately I’ve really been thinking a lot about art and why I do it, moreover, why do I paint in a Renaissance style. I’ve started looking up philosophers and artists who are pro-representational art, and even some like Odd Nerdrum, are pushing for a return to old techniques and styles because they better convey human experience and help us to make meaning of this world. I didn’t know that there were so many artists out there doing this type of art, and that they too have had difficulty fitting into the current capitalist system of art investment (as opposed to art appreciation) and, what I feel is, the bullshit of a lot of conceptual art! Art is a visual language, and I have always thought that if I need a pamphlet to explain to me what the fuck is going on in an exhibition, then that artist/curator/institution has failed, as I have no connection to it. It’s meaningless. It speaks to no one.

Anyways, my rant has gone on too long and I wanted to say that I have decided to remove the political references as they take away from the universality of the scene. Reagan is next on the chopping block. I can still call it ‘The Allegory of Facebook,’ but I don’t need to make it so obvious and run the risk of being cliche. Without those references you can still concur that this image is about modern day struggle, be that political, social, familial or global… whatever reason resonates with you.