I think this thread is an amazing read, very interesting things being said/discussed.
Low brow is on the rise as becoming a more accepted form of art right now. Public art is on its way to reaching its status as it did in the eighties, there are more and more shows being organized world wide, more companies are giving writers/street artisits contracts to design clothes with "cool" "hip" and "trendy(graffiti is currently heading to a peak)" a few years back only third rail was doing graff shirt prints now stussy, insight and numerous other co.s are following suit.
Once something becomes popular and trendy(the two are essentially the same) it hits a peak and then falls. I think that within the end of this decade another form of self expression will take the limelight, graffiti will take a backseat and possibly another lowbrow/outside art form will take hold...Hell maybe everyone will be a expressionist painter! who knows.
Whenever i head to art openings in general, high or low, i always hope to have a conversation with some important person who has power and can push me ahead without me having to do anything. Sure i would expect more powerful people to be at high art openings, and most of the time they are there because its high society. The rich and powerful stick to their own, once they reach that level it would be pointless to fall back down.
High and Low art could very well be compared to heaven and hell(open to interpratation). Once you are up in the clouds you dont want to fall and end up in a hole of hell. High/heaven is wonderful, your colligues are rich and powerfull so your life is easy because you know money aint a problem. Life is easy, once you are established as being "high-class" everyone will want a piece of you because of the hype. You could be a decent painter but impress that one person who could give you everything in the world, and then you may gain some confidence and become the next monet or rembrandt...life is out of your hands.
Low/lucifero is terrible. Its overcrowded with people that could decide they hate art and quit but take up space for those that truely enjoy art. There is no money as a result, the competition is too stiff. Youve got people that decided to pick up a pencil one day and be an artisit; youve also got people who have been creative since the day they were born and strive to head up to the clouds in high heaven.
I think high art is just a vip of artisits who have shown and proved they deserve to be in heaven.
We all start out in hell.