High vs. Low Art
By Breanna Rhodes
Sitting in my senior seminar class junior year of college I was told I make low art. I felt my heart drop. Today I know low art is nothing to be ashamed of. Low art is defined as by Professor G.James Daichendt ‘A concept that typically refers to products of pop culture and entertainment. It's used in a derogatory fashion because of the mass appeal.”
Feline Good, by Breanna Rhodes, Oil on Canvas 2022
Modern artists of the 21st century are having to adapt everyday with art and how to get it into the world such as stickers, claw clips, or even NFTs. Accessibility is another quality of low art along with being easier to digest. Low art didn’t always exist. It was given a title around the time of the Arts and Crafts movement. People wanted a way to differentiate between classical methods and textile arts. Later we were introduced to street art and comics which became part of low art culture.
High art is typically painting, sculpture, and music. The 19th century definition was a lot more clear than todays. It was a product made by someone who had schooling in on of the mediums listed previously. High art is meant to have a deeper meaning than what appears at the surface level.
My artwork is based on growing up in a digital age, we are chronically online. I’ve always liked to focus on the more lighthearted moments of the internet such as cat videos. I created a oil painting of a ton of meme cats. Being told low art isnt for a museum made my blood boil but I did my best to prove them wrong. My painting went on to win jurors choice in our art department student show. I’ve since made stickers and prints of this painting to allow more people to enjoy it.
© Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.
Andy Warhol was someone who loved to push the concept of high and low art. He blurred the lines by doing Pop Art which is a comic book art style. He also did the piece Brillo Boxes that recreated a box for a product. This sculptural piece was displayed and still is displayed in museums till this day.
I want to challenge you to find your own definition for High and Low art. The lines are so blurred. Can you even find them anymore?
Brea Rhodes graduated from Saint Cloud State University in 2023 with a BFA in 2D media along with minors in art history and psychology. She enjoys combining popculture with painting and printmaking. She spends most her days making art and hanging with her two cats.
