Value in Art

Value is an intrinsic factor of life -- everything is automatically given a value, whether we think about it not. As we relate things one to the next, we place them on a hierarchy of likes and dislikes, which shows what we value and how we value that more than other things. In terms of art, value is not necessarily essential, but it serves to make things better in many different ways. Value in an image can make it appear more true to life -- tints and shades make colors more interesting and numerous and value brings depth to artistic works. As well, the value that is placed on a piece of art can make it seem "better." Many people think of the Mona Lisa as the best painting in the world simply because of the value placed upon it in today's society; however, where did that value come from? Is it valued because of the mystery? Is it valued because of the artistic merit? Assigning value is a very arbitrary thing, even in art. Despite the fact that the Mona Lisa is an amazing technical work -- it's pretty boring on all other accounts. So why is it so highly valued? That value that people have placed and built up over the years has made the work "better" than it originally was -- the same as with value in a piece of art.

And since value plays a part in all aspects of our lives, of course it plays a part in art. With that, it brings in the economic system. Art has become a sort of commodity -- it's everywhere and evident in all fields. Fine arts are lesser in demand because the cost of works is higher. People don't think of buying work by renown fine artists because it's simply too expensive and the normal person probably wouldn't understand the pretentious point of view that much of modern art has. So why is it so valuable? Supply and demand? There's a lesser demand for art like that because the clientele that it's available to is so small... and at that, you have to build a reputation in order to be able to charge such exorbitant amounts. So what is valued then? The art, or the reputation of the artist?

The idea of supply and demand only really works in fields like graphic design or more commercial means of art. High demand for a certain photographer’s style can lead him to become exclusive and expensive, as he's only one and would not have time to take on all of the jobs that would be thrown at him.

I don't really care too much about value or economics in art though, so I'm gonna stop now.