Note on Art

Note on Art

LeRoy Neiman's transcription of Adolph Gottlieb's commentary on the artist in society.

This note from LeRoy Neiman—a transcription for painter Adolph Gottlieb’s rumination on the social position of artist—is presumably part of a larger collection of notes the artist amassed on artists speaking on artists. (The related notes were missing from the artist's collection.) Beyond the writing’s content, it should be noted Neiman considered Gottlieb an aesthetic influence.

LeRoy Neiman

LeRoy Neiman Foundation

LeRoy Neiman Foundation

c. 1990-2011

Adolph Gottlieb

Property of the LeRoy Neiman Foundation; please consult the organization's archivist for further details.

Notes

Image/jpeg

English

Document

LN_Notes_1354_01; LN_Notes_1354_02

New York (N.Y.) New York

[ADOLPH GOTTLIEB (19650) / If a painter were useful to our industrial or business, his work could be a social ACT but the painter is rejected within this system and at the same time rejects integration. / Painting is a social act today for private individuals: it has a communal meaning. Rubens was a perfect communal painter of public paintings - which is why we are repelled by his manufactured masterpieces. Rembrandt addressed and communicated with a single individual. / The artist is a derelict. The artist is alienated from society. Even artists who make an effort to conform, to cater to popular taste are rejected and ignored and have great difficulty making a living. / Art is unrelated to society or people as a mass. For the mass of people, art on a high level is non-existent and unnecessary. Some individuals, however, need art for the artist, the audience consists of these few isolated individuals. / The modern artist does not paint in relation to public needs or social needs. He paints only in relation to his own needs. And then he finds that there are individuals that respond to his work. / The art public is responsive to the most difficult and subtle achievements. They are a receptive audience to admire it without verbal explanations. / Artists are acting vitally as artists paint outrageously. While suicidal economically, it is really an act of self-preservation. / The artist has been alienated from society for a hundred years. The situation between the artist and society is bad. A profession that is economically bankrupt and socially dislocated. His values center around creativity and nothing else. He communicates with a small elite audience. ] /

[The unfortunate artist is one who is frustrated in his work. That is why artists are intensely competitive - for professional kudos, recognition of achievement, stature in art circles, etc. There is no alternative; there are no other rewards. ]

Typewritten on paper.