Is There Real Art After Van Gogh?

I’ve asked myself that question many times after yet another preview of an exhibition of modern art.  How often they’ve tried to pawn off as art scratched up doors with obscene scribblings, bags of trash, jars of feces, fragments of walls with graffiti, compositions from broken dishes, played-out girls drawn with blotchy paint.

Sad.  But not funny any more.  That’s not art.  It’s the mortal remains of art, exhumed from the earth by a diabolical necromancer and polluting the entire neighborhood with its stench.

To figure it out once and for all, I turned to the well-know art critic and expert in modern art, Tom Derringham.

Art:  Mr. Derringham, would you say that true art still exists after Van Gogh?  And the things they try to pawn off today as art.  The most recent exhibitions….of Art Miami, for example…

TD: That’s a good question, Art.  What you’re talking about is of great concern to modern art experts.  Of course, what you’re talking about is not art in its original definition….  It’s what they’re trying to force upon us as art.  It’s a sublimation of ignorance and ambition, but nothing more.

Art: So, it needs to be called something else?

TD: Without a doubt, yes.  There is classic art, let’s say it’s withstood the test of time.  It’s been evaluated, contemplated….and then there are these attempts at self-expression, for lack of a better term.  99% of them will be forgotten completely in 10 years and won’t be of interest to anybody.

Art: S?, I’m not alone in my rejection of this?

TD: Of course not!

Art: You’ve reassured me.  So, I’m not really crazy….

TD: Of course not, Art!  And that’s precisely one of the main problems.  Essentially everyone sees that what’s being exhibited at the majority of modern art shows is crap, but they won’t risk saying that so they don’t appear old-fashioned and politically incorrect.  So they see that jars of feces are just that – crap and nothing more.  What kind of art is that?  But they say to each other – well, that’s unconventional art.

Art:  So what’s to be done?

TD: Don’t lie to yourself!  If you don’t like it, then speak your mind….It’s even worse for those who really try to make sense of it all, or especially if they purchase art, collect…

Art: Can you recommend anything to them?

TD: Of course!  And I always suggest it to people who consult with me.

Art: If it’s not a secret, what do you suggest to them?

TD.: Well, first of all, to believe themselves and their eyes.  If you see crap, then consider it crap no matter how much they try to convince you otherwise.

Art: Well, that’s a simple recommendation!

TD: But it’s worth a hundred books on modern art!

?rt: Anything else?

TD: Seriously, though, I drew up kind of a list for myself, sort of a ranking of contemporary artists whose paintings are truly works of art, which will remain as such forever.  And I suggest to those people who consult with me to study it, to understand the principles which it contains and to use them in their attempt to understand what’s worth buying nowadays…

Art: So you have a list of those artists whose paintings are worth buying?

TD: Yes, that’s right.

Art: And on what did you base the principles you used?

TD: I spent many years, or to be more exact, several decades formulating these principles for myself.

Art: Will you share that with us?

TD: First of all, you have to buy what you like.  Otherwise, after a certain time these paintings will really start to irritate you.  Secondly, it must be real art.  Thirdly, it must be done professionally.   And, of course, you have to buy things that will appreciate significantly over time.  That’s to say, combine what’s pleasant with what’s useful.

Art: And?

TD: It turns out that these conditions apply to paintings of recently deceased professional artists whose work was not appreciated during their lives.

Art: Sounds cynical.

TD: However, if you choose the right artist, and moreover, if you are able to purchase his best paintings, then you can guarantee your children masterpieces in their collections which will be worth considerable amounts of money…

Art: So it would be stupid to buy Van Gogh today?

TD: No, but not very many people have that kind of money.  I can name a dozen other artists, whose paintings are one hundred times less expensive, but with time half of them will be as well known as, let’s say, maybe not Van Gogh but, for example, Gauguin.  Others will rise to the level of Pissaro, let’s say.

Art: In value?

TD: Yes.  As far as their artistic level is concerned, they are equal today.

Art: Are there exceptions?

TD: There are exceptions to every rule.  There are paintings of living artists which are worth buying even today since, if you don’t, somebody else will.

Art: And cheap paintings of artists who died long ago?  Inexpensive paintings of the 18th and 19th centuries?

TD: Prices for them have already been established.  Therefore, you can hardly hope that, having purchased a painting of some 19th century artist for $10,000, in ten years you would be able to sell it for $20,000.

Art: And paintings of recently deceased artists?

TD: Prices vary tremendously.  What you bought today for $10,000 might be worth $50,000 or $100,000 in ten years.…

Art: And maybe the same $10,000?

TD: If you listen to my opinion, no..

Art: So what do you advise?

TD: Well, I can quote the first lines of my ranking.

Art: Yes?

TD: In first place today I would put a much unappreciated artist named Francois Mathieu who created masterpieces in the Pointillism style.  This was a French painter who died in 2007.  In my view, his paintings are far more impressive than the works of Seurat and you know how much those are worth today…

Art: So everything’s about money?

TD: No, I said that his paintings are more impressive, better than Seurat’s.  Besides, Pointillism – is an extremely labor intensive technique.  Imagine covering the entire canvas with individual dots of paint in such a way that both close up and far away it appears in harmony.  In the entire world today there are barely 20 artists who draw using that technique.  And those, whose work is worth viewing, are five times fewer

Art: And this Mathieu is that good?

TD: Using this technique, in my opinion, he’s the best.  Despite the intentional complexity of this technique, his paintings look alive.  There is none of the lifelessness that is characteristic of even the best works of Seurat and Signac (Georges Seurat and Paul Signac).

Art: And prices for him?

TD: Today they’re cheap.  If you hurry, you’ll be able to buy his large paintings at bargain prices.  Although even now it’s already getting rather difficult to find his works. Most of them have already been purchased by large dealers and collectors.  But you can still find them….

Art: And do you follow your own recommendations?

TD: Of course!  Two beautiful, large Mathieu paintings hang in my office.  They are two captivating landscapes.  The Cote d’ Azur embankments of the French Riviera are depicted in these paintings.  Mathieu has a series of these paintings with people strolling along the embankment.  These paintings really leave an impression.  He also has beautiful portraits, still-lifes.

Art: And the second entry in the list?

TD: The second entry is probably Renaat BOSSCHAERT.   Also, unfortunately, recently deceased in 2007.  A Belgian painter, sculptor and engraver.  He has many paintings and sculptures that show astonishing strength. And they also will continue to appreciate rapidly in value.  They are also underappreciated.

Art: Do you own his works?

TD: Yes, I only recommend things that I like.  A remarkable still-life of his hangs over the fireplace in my living room.  It was done in sort of a graphic style.  A table in a kitchen is depicted in the painting along with a teapot, cups and a bottle of wine.  The colors of the objects taken individually are not harmonious, but together they create the impression of an extremely comfortable space.  You could say that this work has something in common with the paintings of Petrov-Vodkin.  Are you familiar with that artist?

???: Russian?

TD: What other kind of artist could be named Vodkin?  (laughs)  He was actually a remarkable artist.

Art: Do you also recommend buying him?

TD: Only if you have a lot of disposable cash and you’re not looking to make money from this investment.  Prices for his paintings are already high and they’ve stabilized.  This artist died 80 years ago.

Art: Who’s next in your list?

TD: Actually, Art, I get paid for my consulting…(laughs).

Art: Well, anyway you’ve already named two artists!  And would it make sense for me personally to look for their works and to buy them?

TD: Absolutely, especially if you like them…

Art: So, you believe that these are not only highly valued works of art but that they are a good investment as well?

TD: Yes, I’m sure of it.

Art: Thank you Mr. Derringham, for an interesting interview and for your recommendations.  I hope that a lot of people will not be as concerned about their perceptions at the openings of fashionable art exhibitions.  When they see crap in the future, they will calmly consider it to be crap and not art.  And nobody will be able to convince them otherwise no matter what pompous names are given to that crap.  And they will purchase genuinely high-quality paintings for their collections.  And then, they will admire their beautiful paintings and rejoice at the rise in prices for them.

TD: Yes, Art, I think that as well.  And I am happy for yet another person with common sense among lovers of modern art.

Art: That was my interview with Tom Derringham, well known art critic and expert in modern art.

Art Ferguson