Why "Art" can be frustrating

 I am no philosopher, but have frustratingly wondered why my work never seems to be taken seriously by the art world of publishing, collecting, and granting.  Here are a few of my thoughts as best I can currently articulate them, so they are subject to revision, just as my journey as a fine-art photographer is a work in progress.

I have often wondered why art institutions/organisations in Canada award attention, recognition and financial rewards for things that in many cases common sense tells us are pure non-sensical garbage and sometimes even vulgar or outright offensive; they are not art and may be as Roger Scruton puts it, "kitsch" where the emphasis is moved from the substance of the art to the viewer.  If I'm not mistaken, the art is not the focus of attention, but it encourages attention onto the viewer!  But isn't this anti-art or as Scruton terms it, "fake art"!  So why does it gain world recognition?  Why are good wholesome works of art (not necessarily mine alone as I know of many good artists), that fit with common sense, ethical/moral decency shunned, ignored and rejected? 

I commend philosophers like Scruton (but I do not agree with everything he says), for standing up for true art because it is easy to see just by looking at where grants and art prizes are going, what galleries are showcasing and what types of work are being represented by galleries to see that common sense for what art is pushed aside and ignored these days.  How does a can of faeces or a urinal or an unkempt bedroom be deemed art and in some cases command thousands of dollars.  The modern art world knows the price of things, but the value of nothing - Oscar Wilde, if I'm not mistaken.

As Scruton points out the world is inundated with fake art by famous names in the art world.  For a better idea of this it is suggested to listen to Dr. Scruton's lecture.  Here are a few quick points from one of his lectures ...

Beauty:  stop thinking about self and look at others, and end in itself, set our interests aside and let art that presents human life to us, what can we give to it, it cleans the world of our self obsession.  Beauty is ordered in our perceptions, e.g., Chezanes, Apples.  Beauty has to be won, work is hard

Form:  Consciencely created imagination where fragments are part of a whole e.g., Bach, Rembrandt.

Redemption:  in the face of imperfection, we look to art to help us see that life is meaningful and suffering is not the pointless thing it so often appears to be but the necessary part of a larger and redeeming whole; something clearly reflected in the Holy Bible. 

Real Art is a work of love and I would add dedication - agreed, especially as a film and darkroom photographer where hard work to craft a beautiful print is a real thing.

Fake art is a work of deception!