Is technology killing art?

Quote:

Art may vary over time, but I don't agree it is declining

based upon what?

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Two separate national surveys gauging youth and adult participation in the arts reported yesterday that visits to art museums are declining.

A study of nearly 4,000 eighth-grade students, part of the National Assessment of Educational Progress, found dwindling field trips over the past decade. "The percentage of eighth-graders who reported that they visited an art museum or gallery with their classes dropped from 22 percent in 1997 to 16 percent in 2008," said Stuart Kerachsky, the acting commissioner for the National Center for Education Statistics, which administers the assessment.

The National Endowment for the Arts also released new data yesterday showing that fewer adults were choosing an art museum or a visual arts festival as a leisure-time destination. From 1992 to 2001, 26 percent of adults reported that they visited such attractions, but the number for 2008 dropped to 23 percent. The decrease is small, but it may portend coming declines as the most loyal part of the museum audience ages. The exception, the NEA said, was in the D.C. metropolitan area, where 40 percent of adults said they had visited a museum in 2008 -- reflecting tourism and free admission at most major museums.

In addition, the agency noted sizable declines between 1982 (when it first started documenting arts participation) and 2008 in almost every performing arts field. It reported double-digit rates of decline for classical music, jazz, opera, musical theater, ballet and dramatic plays

This thread is disappointing as it is an important question for which I cant get a good read on the answer. Art is for sure in decline, but what is the reason? I think the decline of art mirrors the decline in the spiritual health of man, the soul can not create or appreciate art when the soul is not healthy. But what is the cause of our spiritual problem?? Many claim that it is indeed technology, usually these folks say that technology has cut man off from the earth and thus left us unattached and withering....I tend to think that rather we are detached from our tradition, as evidenced by the steep decline in our religiousness, but I dont see where technology would clearly be the cause. Maybe life is too easy now, it is the lack of struggle that kills the spirit, our lack of having the experience of overcoming obstacles that is the main problem??

IDK, but I would like to hear thoughtful people considering the nature of the problem...

Quote:

Can we agree on that, that impressionism was likely a conscious departure from one of the technological achievement of the day???

No.

Impressionism was directly influenced by photography.

Osso nailed it. Arts aren't taught in school. It isn't on the test

there in absolute terms there is an increase in the overall number of good artists

art is becoming a commodity

Neither is multiculturalism, global warming and pacifism but all of them are taught in school.

Yes...and no !
There are two opposite movements going on...on one side more and more people have assess to education and culture and from there in absolute terms there is an increase in the overall number of good artists even if they just represent 1% of those involved in the "market"...and on the other hand, has you pointed out, art is becoming a commodity, directed mostly to the upper middle class fantasies, build upon recipes and clones of pop culture even in the most higher circles...it gives me the creeps just to think about it...I hate clichés ! (specially exquisite ones...)