Discussion: Does a Consistent Artist’s Work Risk Becoming “A Song of One Note?”

Back when we still had the physical gallery, one of the most frequent questions we heard from clients — with respect to any given artist's work — was ”is there anything new?”

Whereas that is certainly a valid question, it is also a question that involves a fair degree of nuance.

Artistic Style and Identity

A lot of artists develop a certain style, particularly when they've been working for a long time and have found their "creative groove."

Over time, we certainly might see their work evolve to some extent... but at the heart level, you can typically look at a person's work and say ”Oh yeah that's a Bob Smith!”

In fact, I'd venture to say that many artists work very hard to achieve such a degree of recognizability.

What do You MEAN by "New?"

When I say it's a question with a lot of nuance, a fair number of the clients who would come in and ask whether an artist had any new work, would then end up looking at that new work only to declare ”Yeah it's very nice, but that looks pretty much like everything else (s)he's ever painted...”

Which brings us to the fact that sometimes being an artist leaves you between the proverbial rock and a hard place!

Of course we all have different personalities. Some people live in a world that is constantly in flux and constantly changing. In a way, that can be applied both to artists and to the people who appreciate and buy art.

Novelty Seeking vs. Art Appreciation

Truth is, if you are a ”novelty seeker” while also being very focused on a single artist’s work, you're going to have a challenge filling your desire for novelty if the artist whose work you're following is somebody who has established a very distinct style... and is very comfortable with that style, and not particularly likely to change the way they work!

And to be in that art collector's shoes and then start grumbling about an artist’s work being ”a song of one note” is hardly fair to the artist!

And to be honest, we might even say it's a little bit rude. After all it's the artist's job to follow their creative muse, NOT to cater to your particular collecting style!

Sorry about the mini rant... but some things simply have to be said, and these words were partially inspired by a comment I recently received on my own work, wanting to know if I didn't "get bored" with what I was doing!

I appreciate you stopping by and having a look. Do leave a comment if you feel so inspired!

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