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When do we stop calling something "Art"
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Message
Posted
I feel this is a supportive and positive site on the whole. I don't allow agitation or negativity into my thoughts, ever. I have seen so many people angry and upset by this particular post. It has now become a disruption to the community although not to myself. Someone now, really needs to shut this particular posting down once and for all.
Posted
We should not lose sight of the fact that the majority of postings on this site are paintings created either classically or digitally, from, for want of a better phrase, scratch. A minority appear to be something else and undoubtedly this particular contributor did mislead Dixie (I think it was), in the past, by claiming if one 'zoomed in' you could see the posting was clearly a painting. More recentlyI Gala responded to a challenge to produce a photo that had been manipulated, subsequently, by Mr Myles and provided a link to a photograph which has (in German) the invitation 'Download for free fascinating, high-quality photos handpicked by Garreth'. Curiously I could not find that particular posting on the Gallery under the name Myles, though I have no idea why and will not speculate. Surely it is time to draw a line under this and time for the site owners to make a decision. Are they happy to allow these postings to continue or not? If the answer is yes, we should grin and bear it, choose not to click on them if we don't like them and concentrate on the vast majority of original paintings posted on a daily basis. It is very sad if some members have indeed left the site because of a minority, albeit frequent, contributor who has aroused so much ire. If nothing else Mr Myles had shown that many users on this site do not think digitally manipulated photographs are 'art'. For my part, I would allow them to be covered by the broadest description of art, but one thing they are not, is paintings.
Edited
by Tony Auffret
Posted
Both Denise and Tony are absolutely right it’s time to stop this and as soon as possible. Tony you make a lot of very good points and your solution is spot on , it either goes or we just put up with it. Please do not leave the forum or gallery over this thread well all loose out when you leave.
Posted
Are the images, Michael uses copyright free?
If so I can't see a problem. Many artists take images whether their own photos or copyright free and make of them what they choose using various medium and surfaces including digital gadgets.
I can't see the harm Michael is doing, in this respect.
Yes, I agree let's wrap this thread up, again.
Edited
by Carol Jones
Posted
I don't paint that much, but if I found out that someone had taken my paintings , digitally manipulated them and then posted them as their own work, I would be livid. I don't think Copyright is the issue here- it's attribution, and at the moment there seems to be no rule on this site that says that the originator of the work should be credited. Most painters on POL provide attribution as a matter of politeness. Even Warhol admitted to copying Campbells Soup tins after looking at them every day. However he didn't claim to have designed the labels.
Posted
Ok,ok I know this should be knocked on the head right now. But have just logged on to the site and read this. The description of the site presumably put their by the PoL team.
Copied @nd pasted .
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Posted
Michael, you're about the same age as I am, give or take 8 months, and I do understand that you enjoy manipulating images; the only question that matters on THIS site is whether those images are your own work, or someone else's. If it's the second, you can't really call that painting - and this is an online painters' site, specifically. I thought you probably were 'Woosh', and that's why I thought you were just manipulating your own work digitally - obviously, I'd have no problem with that. I also understand that you like to share your pieces on forums and galleries - I suppose we all do (though a gallery of one's own would be good..). Try to understand though, as I'm trying to understand you, that there are spaces and places for what you're doing, but this really isn't one of them - many artists here have been at this game for 50 years or more: that doesn't make us special, or especially good, but it does mean we put the work in.
I'm sad that we're having to have this discussion - maybe if you'd choked back the volume of postings a bit, we wouldn't need to; but faced with the prospect of real painters leaving the forum, with all due respect to you, we have to be concerned: not because anyone wants to censor you - how could we, there are plenty of sites on which you could post? - but because that's going to be a good way of killing off this site entirely. Its strength has always been that it allows professionals and amateurs to show their work, with no undue respect to the former or patronizing disregard for the latter: but we are all, in our different ways, painters who originate our own compositions - we might well be inspired by internet pictures - but being inspired by something doesn't mean copying it and then playing with it on an Ipad: I realize it's hard to explain this - certainly I'm finding it difficult! - but I believe that if you really think about it, you'll see the point of those who aren't happy with your practice.
I don't want to upset you, or anyone else - that goes against everything this forum, and the company that provides it, stand for. I don't want, I'm sure none of us wants, to spoil your enjoyment: the occasional photo-manipulated image would not perhaps be a problem - but there have been a lot; it's not really serious work, as I'm sure you'd acknowledge, but it does push serious work way down the track. You can see that, surely? Rein it in - at least do that; and maybe we can find solutions which won't ruin anybody's day!
Posted
I’ve just had a look at your images Michael to see what the fuss was about personally I don’t have a problem with what you post, digital art or graphic art is a ‘thing’. Hockney and others have helped to make it more accepted, possibly Warhol got the whole thing started in my opinion. The fact that it is causing such consternation amuses me greatly, this is a site called ‘painters online’ you Michael I think it’s safe to say are not a painter at least on this site, A lot of the people who appear upset by your images are not really painters either in the ‘high art’ sense, they have a passion for art and some understanding of art history, may even have had some training in art, they sketch, draw and paint for fun and personal pleasure rather than as a means of an expression of a personal angst or a way of making a living. The thing is some people forget how much fun it is ‘just to draw sketch and paint’ and venture forth with ‘opinion’ which I am guilty of right now, see we just can’t stop ourselves. I think what we need to show is empathy. We need to suspend our egos and live in another’s world. Accept that any any image can be considered as art, you can moan, whine, kick up a fuss as much as you want, this and much worse has been done over the last 15,000 years. We are supposed to be democratic and not tyrannical… all you can do now is close your eyes and ignore it, hoping it will go away … but it won’t.