Stuckism

What is the point?

I look around and want to know where I fit in the world. Where are others that think like me? Who else wants what I want? What do I really want out of life?

The “dream” is to be left alone to make what ever kind of art you want without the worry of having to sell. I have that. I don’t know that it is enough.

The most popular “new art movement” to develop in the past 30 years is Stuckism. Over the past few years they have even developed an international following. Click here for a link to the website. I briefly mentioned it in one of my very first posts. The following is a description from their website:

Stuckism is a network of artists. It is not a gallery or an agency. If you are looking for someone to promote your work or to give you feedback, then this is the wrong place.

Stuckism is a DIY movement of independent artists, who agree on a core philosophy. It is pro contemporary figurative painting with ideas. You can get more understanding of this from the Manifestos, Paintings, Essays and Interviews. You aren't expected to agree with everything, but there's no point if you disagree with everything either. It's up to you to decide if you want to identify with this movement and if you feel your work belongs in it.

We do not assess work, as long as it is figurative painting, and if you want to affiliate, then you can. You can either contact an existing group, or found a group, which is usually better.

I don’t agree with everything promoted by the writings of this group. Furthermore, I don’t appreciate the work of over half the members’ pages I visited. Seemed to be a lot of “self-taught artists” that reject all formal education; while I do respect rebels that learn on their own (I consider myself one), I do not agree with across-the-board rejection of formal learning. The concept of closed-mindedness is wrong in all forms.

Their manifestos and such also lead me to believe that they would reject the work of a number of artists I hold dear, such as Jackson Pollock. Discounting his work because of his non-representational “drip paintings” is short-sighted in regard to considering his passion for the “process” of painting.

Having said all that, I am still intrigued by this group of artists. My own work most definitely falls within their boundaries of representational, symbolic, expressive and narrative. If I define myself by my paintings, are my paintings a cumulative definition of me? Is this group that my paintings identify with; though I do not – the right place for me?- DN