Steven Heller believes that mainstream art is stolen from visionaires, slightlty altered and then mass produced as a “new” product. For example he uses avante garde art as an example. It is bashed or looked at in confusion as it fades into infamy and obscurity only until something or someone mainstream accepts it, steals it and profits off of it does it get its recognition. I aimed to summarize some of Heller’s ideas via reasearching and comparing my own ideas of contemporary art in the sources I’ve cited below.
According to Heller, Mainstream vs. underground is relevant in contemporary design. One example he gives is where he points out the fact that “Outsiders are, after all, invariably marginalized until the mainstream celebrates them as unsung geniuses.” He also points out that underground art has been folded into the mainstream and is called cool now. All of this ties into the present day situation however. There is a sort of cold war between the two seemingly divided sets of “artists”..
Contemporary design is always changing, mainstream artists seeking ideas can take from the underground artist and pass it off as theirs. This dilemma ranges from clothing to art to music the entire gamut of creative execution deals with this age old problem and it will likely be around forever.
cited
SÁNCHEZ, ALBERTO RUY, et al. “Snakes in Contemporary Art.” Artes De México, no. 71, 2004, pp. 73–92. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/24316122. Accessed 28 Apr. 2020.
Mugno, Charles V., and Steven Heller. “The Design of American Heraldry: An Interview with Charles V. Mugno.” Defense Transportation Journal, vol. 64, no. 2, 2008, pp. 17–19. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/44118360. Accessed 28 Apr. 2020.
“Contemporary Art.” The Museum Year: Annual Report of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, vol. 101, 1976, pp. 26–27. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/43481740. Accessed 28 Apr. 2020.
