The way the artists of the renaissance era were able to Inspire and uplift and deepen us:
- Demanding the highest standards of excellence from themselves
- Improving upon the work of previous masters
- Aspiring to the highest quality attainable
on the way to the 20th century something happened which replaced the PROFOUND, INSPIRING, BEAUTIFUL with THE NEW, THE DIFFERENT, THE UGLY.
how did the 1000 year ascent towards artistic perfection and excellence die out? it didn’t. it was pushed out. The impressionists pushed back on the Beaux-Arts control of classic standards and sewed the seeds of aesthetic relativism. the first generation of artists that pushed for this revolution were themselves disciplined artists that produced work at a high level of craft in their respective arenas of creative exploration. The showed disciplined design and execution and we all love their work. but the door was opened for a decline in the very standards that gave us their timeless and enduring gifts of art. with each new generation standards declined until there were no standards. All that we are left with is personal expression.
“Quality in art is not merely a matter of personal opinion but to a high degree…objectively traceable” – Jakob Rosenberg
The idea of a universal standard in art is openly ridiculed or at least resisted.
Video from Prager University Link