The importance of being yourself. Artistic identity as a value

I believe that in art and craftsmanship the most important concept is that of identity; identity understood in terms of uniqueness and originality of the artist and consequently of the work itself.

We live in an era in which everything can be within everyone's reach, in which copying seems to have gone beyond the limits of plagiarism. It is a homologation of preferences and styles, where the creator is literally thrown into the shadows, becoming anonymous and unrecognizable.

Ours is a constantly evolving society. A continuous race in which speed is not synonymous with dynamism, and in which the creative act becomes worthless. Similar to fast fashion , art also seems to have become fast . We do everything we can to get back into a current market, without thinking about how effectively our works can last over time and gradually acquire an increasingly higher value.

True works of art do not have a time: they are part of a continuous line that from the present is imprinted on the past and continues towards the future, marking the culture of subsequent generations.

We don't want empty works, anonymous works, seen works. We, in the works, must see the soul of the artist.

The history of art must serve us as a resource. We must always look to the great Masters, but not to reproduce their works, or to take inspiration from their artistic technique. We must look at the great Masters of the past to understand why they remained in the history of art, what signs characterized them, highlighted them compared to others.

In art and craft, identity is key.

Monet ensured that light became a fundamental pillar of his artistic research; he painted a series of 25 works that portrayed the sheaves in different ways, from different angles, in different light conditions and seasons. With the Sheaves series, Monet painted metamorphoses of nature on canvas.

And so with the Water Lilies, a series that consists of more than 250 paintings.

But what made Monet even more original was his desire to distance himself and oppose academic art, preferring a new pictorial freedom. He abandoned preparatory drawings and made them clear and defined, in favor of a more natural and direct painting.

When today we find ourselves in front of a work by Monet, despite not having before our eyes any label indicating its authorship, we are able - at the mere sight of the work - to affirm "That's a Monet!".

And so, even in fashion - although it is not my field - Chanel gave life to its own identity (which today we call a brand), becoming a style icon for emancipated women.

Artists and craftsmen today must aspire to this.

They must free themselves from every prejudice and every fear: from the fear of not being liked, from the fear of not selling, from the fear of being different. They must free themselves from the idea of ​​having to necessarily follow a market trend.

As a collector, I don't want to buy a work that another artist has already created. I want a work that is truly unique, a work with which I can naturally empathize.

You must be an added value for the art world and for society.

But how to differentiate yourself?

To differentiate myself, I believe it is essential to carry out a double search: a search for subjects and materials and a search for oneself which then leads to the acquisition of that unique and personal language.

Always ask yourself questions, question yourself and question yourself.

What differentiates your works from those of others?

What values?

What ethics?

What technique and material?

What feeling and what goal?

What is your sign?

Be unique,

only in this way will you be able to shine among a billion stars.

Dr. Beatrice Cordaro

Art historian and curator

Find out more on the Studio Arte 22 website or on the Instagram profile @beatricecordaro.artcurator