Channel 4 Life Class

Congratulations to Channel 4 for putting on the Life Class, a resurgence of interest in art is very welcome. It is therefore doubly sad that no one could have made a less worthy attempt than those selected. Although I was not credited, I had written to Channel 4 suggesting a life class programme, and although I was warned that television companies will pinch anything, surely they did not say ‘this is a good idea, but instead of some guy from the sticks we will use proper artists, such as RA’s etc’.
Well they have certainly proved what I was trying to illustrate. I could not have hoped for a better result, they have surpassed my wildest imaginings. Instead of berating them I should be offering my heart felt thanks.

The reason for suggesting a Life Class programme was to reveal exactly what the program did reveal, that it is not unusual for those who claim to be artists or visually literate to have their claims disproved when tested in this way. In fact even in this short programme one of the authors: Humphrey Ocean, claimed that his work was as close to a photograph as a painting could be. A claim which was to make his low grade attempt that much more poignant A life painting is the litmus test of artistic ability. It makes it very clear whether or not the author is visually literate.
My premise is that 99% of those claiming to be artists are not only patently unable to substantiate this when it comes to the time honoured test but are actually congenitally unable to be artists. That is they have not developed neural networks necessary for the task. This gives us an awfully large pool of people out there, often in institutions set up for the best of artists, making what many would consider, a considerable amount of money, by what would in any other circumstances be called conmanship. And no one either willing or more importantly able to questions this. Using someone who can paint figures as a baseline, I would be happy to offer myself as a baseline. Those who wish to question my ability can be the first inline for the challenge.
Is it now time to produce a proper investigative programme: to ask the questions which everyone knows need asking but are not being asked. Interestingly the producers who were given the Life Class programme which I suggested were connected to the ICA, recently slated by one of their own, (Chairman) Ivan Massow, who said the British art world is in “danger of disappearing up its own arse … led by cultural tsars such as the Tate’s Sir Nicholas Serota, who dominate the scene from their crystal Kremlins. “Most art I see now is pretentious, self-indulgent, craftless tat that I wouldn’t accept even as a gift. “I must confess that, for a number of years, I’ve had a nagging voice in my head telling me it’s all hype and frequently no substance”.

Maggie Hamblin (channel 4 Life Class)

The first programme had Maggie Hamblin referring to the neck as a column, this is one of the fundamental flaws of what might be termed the psychological homunculus i.e. the strange creature shaped by the psychological aspect of the perception of a human: big head , big eyes, little hands and little feet etc. Although the Greeks were obsessed with the naked body, our tradition of the life class, which became the centre of the Art Education Curriculum and the ultimate test of visual literacy could be said to have begun because of the badly drawn figures of the Byzantine, with all the flaws stated above, plus the familiar column like neck. A neck unless forced to do otherwise leans slightly forward travelling through the V or better still inverted W of the almost vertical sternomastoids. It is reprehensible to ignore something of such structural importance in a life study.

Humphrey Ocean (channel 4 Life Study)

In the second Life Class the artist was Humphrey Ocean, not alot to say about this other than it has not reached the level to be called art,but then again none of them reach a level which could be referred to as art.
Put simply Art has a definition, the O.E.D. states: it is the skilful execution as an object in its self. Implicit here is that Art is at the top end of the ability spectrum. A few would argue that it is comparable to a Concert Pianist or mathematical genius: a genius with a given medium and just as a Concert Pianist is not someone can just play chopsticks, an artist is not just someone who can scrawl a figure. Why should I be bothered, because it is a wrong which needs righting.
How has this come about? I took my annual pilgrimage around the R.A. recently, an institution set up by an artist for artists, and although I was not surprised, many were. It seems that networking is the only art form of any importance in the art world. There is also the sheer ignorance of selectors, with the R.A. there will be ignorance and editing out the better work of the public. Where as with the B.P. awards I suspect it is ignorance. The B.P. award was designed to promote and encourage painting. Yet all but a handful were copies of photographs, most will realise the huge gulf between copying and painting, certainly from the comments of those attending the exhibition, many thought it was completely unacceptable. This is not the fault of those submitting work, an exhibition is only the selectors exhibition, Rembrandt could have sent work in but this selection panel would not have included him. Please please please only use selectors who are visually literate.
What should be done? A life study is a very clear test of visual literacy and no one in the visual arts should be visually illiterate, commentators and judges in other disciplines are always exponents in that discipline. A challenge should be sent to individuals who are deemed visually illiterate. If they fail they should surrender their privileges, such as those conferred by the R.A. etc. If these people were occupying these positions under false pretences in any other area, the Police would be involved.

If anyone out there could download Channel 4's Life Classes before they are hurriedly removed (such an indictment will not stay there for long) and provide me with a link, I would be eternally grateful.