Aelita Andre

[dominitus]

This is the first I've heard of artist Aelita Andre. A video of her is currently trending on YouTube, which is how I came across her. It depicts her at work in her studio:

It goes for about 14 minutes - I didn't bother to watch it all, I watched the first few minutes then skipped through it. It is the height of indulgent wank, regardless of the

Comments

[anfalicious]

There is a vast chasm between this and the work of other 4 year olds. Seriously, this is like a 4 year old sitting down and composing a sonata. She's quite clearly seeing the world in a way that most people don't and the reason this is art is because it gives us an insight into that. To you it may just look like paint splatters, but if you sit down and try you will see it's not so simple to make this style look good.

This is the most expensive painting ever sold:

[dominitus]

Pollock is mentioned in the interview with the parents. Her father says:

''The arguments we've had against Aelita are basically that because she doesn't have intention, it's not great art. But Jackson Pollock spent years trying to unlearn how to paint. He boozed himself up trying to get back to a childlike state. Are you trying to tell me that every one of his marks was intentional? How do we know it wasn't a case of 'I'll grab my house-paint and see what happens'? You can never know the mind of the artist.''

This makes a lot of sense to me, as does Derrida's belief.

I can't judge her paintings, I don't really know enough about the style, though I can see how one might view her paintings as "child-like Pollock", hear her story, and be very excited about her potential as an artist. That said, how do I know she's actually special? Which is why I found this interesting:

Her parents insist everything else [bar priming the canvas] is her own work, but with advantages like those, some observers say, any child could turn out work that

[anfalicious]

Que?

I thought I posted here...

Anyway, I said something about Derrida saying that intent is impossible to access so it's pointless to even talk about it, and about how art is something decided upon by the community, but that it's not democratic in that some voices count more than others.

Also that I think what she is doing is pretty damn special, it's no mean feat to paint like that; she is seeing the world in a way we don't and her art allows us insight into that perception. The world's most expensive painting is No. 5 by Jackson Pollock:

[dominitus]

Strange, the comments were screened, presumably because it's a public entry, but that shouldn't be happening... I'll have to check my settings. Normally I'd delete this comment but your image shows up in this one and not the other.

[anfalicious]

Whatevs. Hopefully I didn't contradict myself :P

[ms_muppet]

But what if the artist didn't intend to portray a particular message/emotion in the first place? As much as artists have to put down a "this is what my practice is about" statement at exhibitions etc, a lot of people I know start simply with an idea or an image in their minds and work from there. I remember taking my photography folio down to a history and theory of photography class, only to have all the would-be art historians going aaaaah I see what you're doing here/what you're commenting on/portraying. And inside my head I was thinking, yeeessssss.....erm, really, I just wanted to create an image like x/y/z

[ms_muppet]

Oh totally. I definitely approached my photography folios with an idea in mind, if only an atmosphere or an image or an indefinable feeling that I wanted to recreate. I guess what I was saying was that an artist's purpose or ideas behind their work is often (and this is not a bad thing!) extremely different from those perceived by the audience. And because of that, I can't see how you can judge the merit of a piece of work based on the intentions of the artist.

[tahnee]

I really wish I could "get" art. I really don't understand how people could have lives making it or studying it. I have tried, but it escapes me. I would rather read a good book. (BTW I am not condemning art, just that it does nothing for me)

[baconsoap]

I would consider writing an art-form, so you do get it :D

[zenandtheart]

Gorgeous. I know what children are capable of producing and this is wonderful, even if not unique.
I'd put it up in my house.

That would be an excellent video to watch at a DT. I don't think it's wanky at all, I think it's beautiful.