Kara O's Response

Caitlin's #1. As young artists, I think it's safe to say that we're at a malleable stage. Should we worry about the possibility of being too influenced?

What is too influenced? The problem is, art in my mind is a creation that shows your view on the world. It is expressing how you as the artist view an aspect of life, and in that sense, we need to be influenced. With this influence we can expand on what was seen before with our own ideas. I understand the concern that some may have where one isn't being influenced, but instead copying. But this is what Art History is about, learning from the artists of our past and using their influence to create our own works. We learn skills and techniques from other artists like a trade and then expand upon it.


Caitlin #3. Gilbert-Rolfe suggests that when the critic & artist are of same age an opportunity to steal ideas is presented. Is this something to worry about in Advanced Studio?
There is always the problem of ideas being "stolen" from artist to artist, but a similar age should not be a factor. We may "steal" ideas, concepts, techniques, and skill, but our work varies so much (even those with similar concepts as I know I have with some classmates) that if our art relates, we are creating for ourselves and from our own minds so it is not stealing. We forget how similar people think that when something is similar we automatically think it was stolen. We need to remember that this similarity of humanity is what connects us. (Not to get all philosophical or anything).

JoAnna #1. The article had stated "The best artist are those in their late 2os" who are still questioning things. And the more worked out the artist's "line" the dumber the art is. How do you feel about this statement? Do you agree?
Well, these two statements are vastly different. With the first statement about artists in their late 20's, I do believe that the younger age group is more malleable and able to expand upon their skills and evolve their techniques more, but we tend to forget that with practice comes something more refined. With Hannah Wilke (feminist photographer), her pieces changed from when she was young to when she reached her thirties. It was in this age of "best artists" that she found what she wanted to focus on and many of her pieces were then "similar" and perhaps could be considered in a rut. What one may fail to realize since pieces were so similar throughout her life is that her pieces that she created when older and dying were some of the most profound pieces of any of her works. She had the same style, but was able to refine and grow in her later years. I don't think there is an age for our "best work", but instead each transition we make as an artist provides more skill, variance, or another aspect to our work.