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| Michael Boles, The Venus of Newgrange, 2009. Aluminum, copper, and chrisacola. 48" x 84" x 1." Available for purchase–please contact the artist. |
There is little or
no difference between the objects our ancient ancestors required for survival
and the objects that they coveted. This is the same reality for us in the here
and now. The value of useful and functional items in relation to those
which are purely for visual or visceral gratification has evolved, and this mirrors
the whole of history and the flux of human condition. The thing that is the
most interesting is why nonfunctional items such as works of art have become
more expensive and sought after rather than those that are useful and
functional.
One cannot explain away the phenomena of the monetary value
of paintings by artists such as Van Gogh or Vermeer. The craft of their
work is only a small part of why their work demands the respect that it
does. Scarcity and notoriety are understandable, but the way in which the
general public canonizes artisans must amount to more than just those basic
tenets.
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