Info about Art Supplies
Art / art supplies / art dealers
The earliest signs of human art date back tens of thousand years. There are usually pictograms or cave drawings. Initially the word “art” signified any human mastery or craft. Latter new meanings were conveyed to it meaning skill or action that is affecting acoustic and visual senses, provoking thoughts and stirring emotions. Contemporary art forms are quite diverse, they encompass: painting, music, sculpture, architecture, photography, installation, theatre, film, dance, etc. – still, these art forms are united into categories: literature, decorative arts, performing arts, and plastic arts. However there can be compilations of such. Every category has its longstanding history, genius and genres. Every country has its cultural heritage where fruits of art forms are preserved. Art is a soul of the nation.
Most art forms undermine media (art supplies) as material means to their creative goals. In fine arts, in drawing and painting the medium are (the lists are incomprehensive): pencils, pastel, graphite, brushes, ink, oil paint, gouache, water color, canvas, paper, etc. In sculpture: brushes, Chiselandhammer, cutting torch, snips, knives, clamps, wood, stone, marble, bronze, wax, cement, etc. In filmmaking and photography: cameras, films, projectors, etc. Printmaking (here media is a technique): aquatint, moku hanga, woodcut, etching, linocut, engraving, lithography, screen-printing, etc. And solely the music needs only musical instruments to reveal itself. Music is the most ephemeral – non tangible – of all art forms. The area that studies art theory is a philosophical branch, namely Aesthetics.
New art supplies have been produced in modern times altering the traditional concept and form of art. Modern technologies make it possible to significantly increase the quality of pigments in the paint. Unlike in old times, when a master would keep in secret the “recipe” and ingredients he used in the paint, the art supplies are easily affordable for general public nowadays. The market has on offer stable and long lasting products. With the development of digital media many art software have been introduced.
There are different sectors of business and industry that deal with art. Those professionals who are connected to art works through trade operations are called “art dealers”. Art dealers should be well informed (better to say educated) in art history, marketing, administration, management, etc. as they normally play a role of a mediator between the artist and auctions, museums, galleries, and different other organizations. They should be able to interpret the crowd’s mood, trends, and sometimes even foresee such or take risks against market stereotypes. Nowadays art dealers representing artists promote their art and try to push their works and interests on the market. If the dealer has a keen eye he will be able to see the real talent which at that time most likely would be underestimated by his / her contemporaries. By the way, the history of U.S. art dealing has key figures. Here belong: Klaus Perls – who held Perls Galleries and contributed many works of art to Metropolitan Museum of Art; Martha Hopkins Struever – collected Indian artworks of America, was an author of a few books; John Weber – he was a pioneer in many way in the area, promoted the conceptual art, Italian Arte Povera, and Post-Minimalist sculpture.