Prof. David Galenson shares fascinating model of two types of artists from his book, Old Masters and Young Geniuses: experimental/old masters and conceptual/young genius. This interview by Bootstrap Art Subgroup Lead Marcy Hoen, expanded into a conversation with Bootstrap Art members Till Richter, Roi James and others.
The old dictum "know thyself" starts with the artist understanding whether they are experimental and conceptual. This is especially important for experimentalists, because modern art is dominated by conceptualist. The blessing of being a conceptual artist who is recognized, becomes the curse, because they get identified for that innovation. On the other hand, an experimentalist often has to work in obscurity for long periods of time, before ever achieving. There's a process of actually discovering whether you are one or the other. You might spend a long time trying to be one, like Cézanne. Don't compare yourself to the other.
Artists discussed include: Louise Bourgeois, Jackson Pollock, Leonardo Da Vinci (experimental), Vincent van Gogh (conceptual), Paul Cézanne (experimental), Eric Clapton, Paul Signac, Georges Seurat, Andy Warhol, Jeff Koons, Ignazio Jacometti, Frank Lloyd Wright (experimental), Virginia Woolf, (experimental) Pablo Picasso, Jasper Johns (conceptualist), Joseph Heller (conceptualist), Stanley Kubrick (conceptualist), Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, Norman Rockwell, Camille Pissaro, Paul Gauguin, Damien Hirst, Matthew Barney, Gerhard Richter, Kehinde Wiley, Anselm Kiefer.
