TheDisposableArtist

 

This is a rich and complex topic that weaves together art, philosophy, sociology, and technology.

The Disposable Artist: Art and Appreciation in a Narcissistic Age

I. Introduction: Art in an Age of Entitlement

• Thesis: Modern and postmodern society, shaped by narcissism and entitlement, has shifted the appreciation of art from an act of connection and empathy to one of consumption and convenience.

• The contradiction: Art as an object of appreciation vs. the artist as a disposable creator.

• Key symbols: Duchamp’s readymades, AI-generated art, and the starving artist in their garret.

II. Art as Object vs. Art as Act of Appreciation

1. The Narcissistic Gaze:

• In an entitlement-driven culture, art becomes a mirror reflecting the appreciator’s taste rather than a window into the creator’s soul.

• The focus shifts from the creative process to the personal act of valuation.

2. Duchamp’s Readymades and the Separation of Art from the Artist:

• Duchamp’s Fountain (1917): A urinal declared art, shifting the focus from skill and craftsmanship to conceptual thought.

• How this movement paved the way for art to be about the viewer’s internal act of recognition rather than the creator’s intention.

3. AI-Generated Art as the Next Readymade:

• Technology has removed the human creator entirely from some art forms.

• A user pressing a button becomes both the artist and the audience—a seamless act of consumption and self-expression.

• The erosion of traditional skills and craftsmanship parallels the devaluation of human effort.

III. The Starving Artist: A Symbol of Dehumanisation

1. Romanticising Trauma:

• The starving artist trope reflects the cultural expectation that suffering is the price of authenticity.

• In a narcissistic culture, this suffering becomes an aesthetic rather than a call for empathy.

• Society consumes the artist’s output while discarding their humanity—“starving” both metaphorically and literally.

2. The Disposability of Creators:

• Convenience culture (Uber, Amazon, AI) reinforces the disposability of labor and creators.

• Artists are valued not for their humanity but for their productivity or the aesthetic appeal of their suffering.

IV. Empathy, Trauma, and the Value of Art

1. Convenience vs. Craftsmanship:

• Trauma and hard work historically underpin human creativity and empathy.

• Modern convenience erodes the appreciation for effort, making both art and the artist disposable.

2. Empathy through Struggle:

• The absence of personal struggle in art appreciation limits the audience’s ability to value the artist as a person.

• The rise of technology-driven art furthers this disconnect by presenting creation as effortless.

V. AI-Generated Art: The Entitlement Symbol

1. Art Without Graft:

• AI art commodifies creativity, presenting it as instantaneous and universal.

• The paradox: AI art is a product of entitlement and a driver of further entitlement.

2. Devaluation of Traditional Skills:

• Just as Duchamp’s readymades questioned skill, AI erodes it further by removing the human entirely.

• The symbolic shift: Art is no longer a dialogue between creator and audience but a monologue of the entitled user.

VI. Conclusion: Art, Empathy, and the Way Forward

• To reclaim the value of art and artists, society must reintroduce the appreciation of effort, humanity, and empathy.

• The role of education and cultural shifts in resisting entitlement-driven dehumanisation.

• The need for a new ethos: valuing connection over consumption and creators over convenience.

This structure allows for a coherent argument that traces the historical and philosophical evolution of art appreciation in narcissistic and disposable cultures, connecting it to contemporary issues like AI-generated art.

This blog is part of a series entitled The Fragile Canvas.