Thomas Kinkade - ROTFL
You know why I think that is.... there was a period when photographers were getting alot of attention, like Cindy Shermann, Sally Mann, Nan Godin, etc. (who? :), as the medium matured and now I think movies have become a more pertinent art form than the static arts. Also, there's a shift to digital art forms (suits modern sensibilities more - quick). It took awhile for movies to be accepted as a serious art medium just as it took photography to do so. Not that there weren't great artistic photographs and films made along the way, but the indy film (a substantial art form) is nearly a household word and far more entertaining and pertinent to modern life and the modern mind than a static image. Film and computers are the new mediums. Sure, there still are awesome traditional artists working (though I've seen pitiful little that moves me) and they'll be remembered but attention is elsewhere to some degree. The artworld is in a state of flux. 'Modern Art' and the new role of the patron (like Gertrude Stein) in the 19th and 20th centuries set the stage for a shift in the evolution of how the 'genius' is identified and made into a commodity. I won't go on but that really changed how artists think of themselves and I see a steady decline in the sincerity of work beyond a certain point, hence we find ourselves with pitiful few great artists beyond a certain point. I could go on as to why I think that is but this is probably more than you wanted as is.
AI
