Summary Of Thorton's Seven Days In The Art World
Page 1
Seven Days in the Art World
Lowery Houston
Introduction to Visual Arts
20530
9/17/14
Page 2 Ethnography is the study of a culture. Looking into Sarah Thorton’s book Seven Days in the Art World, it ultimately appears to serve not only as her view on the art industry but also as a study of the new, rapidly growing culture of contemporary art – making it an ethnographic book. Thorton uses a journalistic approach to examine her perspective of the art world as a growing era. Various interviews of different people within the industry (from artists to collectors to experts to auctioneers) Thorton successfully gathers the components of contemporary art that build its own culture. By traveling around the world …show more content…
Within the day, the classroom has been transformed from “institutional” to “complicated and inspired”*. The ability of Thorton to look back at the room she spent all day in, and no longer see the traditional classroom …show more content…
Although she never writes in a straightforward manner about the way she takes in her seven day experience, she does give off a certain vibe. The people she interviews, the quotes she uses, the names of artists she offers – they mostly offer the more realistic viewpoint of contemporary art. Of course she is presenting direct quotes throughout all the interviews, but still somehow Thorton’s interpretation of art galleries and showings leave the reader feel as if the people associated with them are either dreadfully competitive or simply dumb aristocrats. Her interpretation of new coming artists is exactly the opposite. She manages to make the reader feel as if all upcoming contemporary artists are merely intellectual bums that thrive off ideas instead of realistic viewpoints. Then going back to the “one percent”** that inevitably makes up almost the whole art industry, Thorton focuses on people who openly judge each other, openly criticize each other, and are openly dull with each other. Certainly, Thorton has her hidden viewpoints of the people she meets and the art she views, but like any good journalist, she does not let her own voice overlap the many voices in her
Seven Days in the Art World
Lowery Houston
Introduction to Visual Arts
20530
9/17/14
Page 2 Ethnography is the study of a culture. Looking into Sarah Thorton’s book Seven Days in the Art World, it ultimately appears to serve not only as her view on the art industry but also as a study of the new, rapidly growing culture of contemporary art – making it an ethnographic book. Thorton uses a journalistic approach to examine her perspective of the art world as a growing era. Various interviews of different people within the industry (from artists to collectors to experts to auctioneers) Thorton successfully gathers the components of contemporary art that build its own culture. By traveling around the world …show more content…
Within the day, the classroom has been transformed from “institutional” to “complicated and inspired”*. The ability of Thorton to look back at the room she spent all day in, and no longer see the traditional classroom …show more content…
Although she never writes in a straightforward manner about the way she takes in her seven day experience, she does give off a certain vibe. The people she interviews, the quotes she uses, the names of artists she offers – they mostly offer the more realistic viewpoint of contemporary art. Of course she is presenting direct quotes throughout all the interviews, but still somehow Thorton’s interpretation of art galleries and showings leave the reader feel as if the people associated with them are either dreadfully competitive or simply dumb aristocrats. Her interpretation of new coming artists is exactly the opposite. She manages to make the reader feel as if all upcoming contemporary artists are merely intellectual bums that thrive off ideas instead of realistic viewpoints. Then going back to the “one percent”** that inevitably makes up almost the whole art industry, Thorton focuses on people who openly judge each other, openly criticize each other, and are openly dull with each other. Certainly, Thorton has her hidden viewpoints of the people she meets and the art she views, but like any good journalist, she does not let her own voice overlap the many voices in her