Art & Communication 1

Before I can discuss the effects that the internet, and specifically 'blogging' and communication sites have on art, I think I should list a few that are the most important.

Blogspot, and similar types of blog sites..
Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter should deserve their own category.
Sites like artbistro, deviant art, etc. that are strictly devoted to artists.
And then a general overview of search engines.

I found an article that was somewhat related to what I wanted to discuss:
The Future Of Art - How The Internet Is Reshaping Artists' Universe: An Analysis By Andy Oram (Part II)
You can access the article HERE

Oram discusses his take on how art, and artists' outlook, has changed because of the internet.
A few points of interest:
The future of art and the entire artists' universe is likely to be reshaped by the internet and the new media. --> I think this statement is SO crucial for us to understand before we can go on to discuss this issue further. I fully believe that the Internet has, and will continue to, shape the way art is made and how it is viewed. Our entire art 'universe' will be compromised.. but whether we use it to our advantage or not is up to us.
"The third era is driven by the Internet and challenges all the foundations of the previous two eras. This does not mean art done in the old styles will disappear..." --> I think this is also a key point to understand. We need to look at the internet as a way to expand on the way art is viewed and accessed.. not replace it.

If we understand these two basic principles I think we can go on to study how these different sites and aspects of the internet have caused this effect, and how artists should use it to their advantage.

For today I'm going to briefly discuss blogging sites.
Because any blogger can insert their own images/etc. into their blog, blogging fully allows them to post whatever type of artwork, and as much artwork, as they want. By adding 'followers' and making your blog known, people can easily access your artwork or ideas about art, just by viewing your blog. In a very similar way we can apply this concProxy-Connection: keep-alive
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t to an artist website. Like a blog, any prospective or current artist can display their portfolio. Just by getting people to visit your site can then allow them to view your artwork. This makes it ideal for career-seekers, or anyone who wants to get their artwork accessed by the public. This is certainly much easier, and cheaper, than submitting artwork to a gallery or an art show and hoping that you get accepted. And to be honest, more people will probably be able to view it that way. Because, as the internet becomes increasingly used in our society, more people will tend to visit a website to see your work rather than visit a gallery.