Commercial vs Fine. Art, that is.

Joe Nyaggah — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 08:10:56 +0000

The difference between commercial art and fine art is also the difference between starvation and survival, I think. If an artist, led by sensibilities and convictions that don’t allow him to produce works that are mainstream or appreciated by the masses – which would mean great sales and therefore survival – chooses instead to produce works that are only appreciated by a select, eccentric few and not executed on demand/ patronage but on a whim, then – if my long-windedness allows me to get to the point – that person is a fine artist.

On the contrary, a commercial artist executes work that his art director has directed him to, or if independent, work that his freelance endeavors have yielded for him, work that will eventually appear on billboards, in periodicals and other printed texts and media, on apparel etc. He is guaranteed a sale, and an easy sale at that.

Of course both kinds of artists have that intrinsic drive to create but I think the one that chooses to have job security is smarter than the one who won’t relent to societal, industry and/ or mainstream requests and will therefore starve. Hunger builds character, yes, but money builds so much more. Houses, for instance, that you and your extended family can live in.

That’s the difference.

Joe Nyaggah » art

Commercial vs Fine. Art, that is.