Thursday 13 December 2012

Inspired by the Big Screen


A young Swedish artist contributed to thewonderwound recently, and having a look through his work I found his Observatory series complete. A three piece set, the images were an exercise for the artist to practice his craft as a digital artist, re-toucher and photographer. As one would expect, the use of software and colour was good, and created some nice-to-look-at work. However, the artist noted the images of this exercise had been inspired by a movie poster (any guesses which one?), which seemed self-explanatory: Wahlin is of a digital generation, and inspiration for his peers is largely found on screen.

Inspiration derived from film posters is just an example of where gen Y get there inspiration from 
His work, in contrast to Nick Alive’s (another artist featured on this blog) is a strong example of the generational differences that a decade can make. One artist works in graffiti, life informing his creations, the other is yet to see the world but can already identify with the darkness, economic and environmental crisis’ that cripple his generation, but is still eager to go out there and soar among the stars.

This recognition is largely down to the type of art available to us and what it says about our world, which inevitably provides us with inspiration: before the Romantics, imitation was the highest form of flattery, and artists would therefore spend years learning the styles of the greats before them. The French Revolution was an indictment of neo-Classical ways in society, and the neo-classical art then provided a base line for the Romantic Movement as something to avoid and reject. Artist then drew inspiration from an almost pantheistic lifestyle as a result of this rejection.

And this goes on: art is inspired by our time if the world works, rejected if the world does not. Pop Art in the fifties challenged the traditional fine art as a reflection of the attitudes of life, the styles of music and advertisements and comics that were around at the time, and after the depression and Second World War.

Now: we live in a digital age where the remakes of popular comics and films by those older and more experienced in the creative industries have darker tones, that influence today’s younger artist to create a slightly dystopian tinged style of art. Mixed in with the hopelessness that is conveyed to us every day through news outlets, this is understandable. But then you have this little glimmer of hope: technology advances every minute, the medical sciences come closer to making breakthroughs, and every now and again, someone does something wonderful and kind.  So, generation Y produce art that is dark, and dirty, and degenerative, but also something that boasts a little something hopeful and magical.