Human beings use the arts for different reasons. Some use it as a means of personal expression. Many enterprises make use of it to send a message, attract consumers, and make money. Whatever the case may be, it cannot be argued that art has always played an integral role in business and society. Combined with technology development, it pushes the boundaries as to what can be done to showcase whatever you have to say.
With that in mind, let us explore three of the most important business and social trends in art today.
Quality and Expertise
With the enormous wealth of information available online, daily customers in all industries and fields are becoming more knowledgeable. As a result, they are incredibly reluctant to settle for products or services that do not meet the highest of standards. In addition, more than ever before, they understand that they have a wide variety of choices in what they buy. If they don’t like something, they can find several other suppliers willing to fulfill their specific demands at a much lower price.
As such, it is of the utmost importance for all businesses, particularly those in the retail arena, to provide goods of singular quality and focus on many other issues such as customer service, aftercare, and of course, visual presentation. It is especially true for online stores as existing and potential clients cannot touch and compare company products. Thus, they need to base their decisions solely on pictures and descriptions.
Realizing this fact, enterprises big and small are now working hand in hand with award-winning photographers with expertise in e-commerce images. These individuals capture and produce beautiful pictures that stand out, attract viewers, and sell.
No Need for Representation
A top agent for a superstar athlete can make between 10 and 100 million dollars per year, more if they represent several sportspeople in the top four leagues in America. If you are not familiar with them, they are the National Basketball Association or NBA, the National Football League or NFL, Major League Baseball or MLB, and the National Hockey League or NHL.
The same is true for celebrity managers and lawyers, and artist agents. However, the difference is that for a sculptor or painter, finding representation is a much more difficult task. Many geniuses in the world of canvases, graphite pencils, kneaded erasers, and brushes never come out of anonymity, and their work stays hidden from the many eyes that could see it and would gladly pay for it. At least, that was the case until now.
Today, things are very different. If you have enough talent, all you need is a YouTube, Instagram, or Facebook account, and the world can see and marvel at your talents. Furthermore, you don’t have to make it all the way to the Metropolitan Museum or the Louvre. Rather, your work can be presented to millions across the globe, and you can make a more-than-decent living from the comfort of your own home.
More than Just Images
South African photojournalist and former member of The Bang-Bang Club Kevin Carter shocked the world with his 1993 picture of The Vulture and the Little Girl. On it, a starving, almost at the brink of death Sudanese girl was being closely watched by a marauder bird. But the animal wasn’t moving. In the eyes of many, it was showing respect. It was not attacking her but rather waiting for her to die.
A year earlier, Theresa Frare, 1992 American recipient of the World Press Photo Award, had shown us the ravaging effects of the nascent HIV and what it physically meant to be succumbing to full-fledged AIDS. Her picture of a frail, gaunt, ghost-like activist David Kirby would later be used as an advertisement for Benetton’s Italian clothing brand.
Art with a conscience or social art is nothing new. For centuries, people have been expressing their views on canvases, cave walls, and street roads. Still, it wasn’t until the fall of African American George Floyd at the hands of the police that its true comeback began. Every day, regular folks like you and me are becoming more daring and more courageous in revealing what they feel through drawings, music, writings, or anything else.
Three of the most important art trends in society and business are the ever-growing demand for quality images and other visuals on corporate sites, a level-playing field where anybody in the world can showcase their talent and skill online, and the second coming of social art. In a world where freedom of expression closely intertwines with access to technology, it is not far-fetched to expect them to remain relevant for the years to come.
