For those of you who are interested in the language of fashion, here is an interesting article from the Guardian on International Art English or “artspeak” which they name as “the pompous, overblown prose” used to describe exhibits. For those who have not encountered this before, it is believed to be most evident in art gallery press releases.
With its pompous paradoxes and its plagues of adverbs, its endless sentences and its strained rebellious poses, much of this promotional writing serves mainly, it seems, as ammunition for those who still insist contemporary art is a fraud. Surely no one sensible takes this jargon seriously? (the Guardian, 2013)
It seems that even artists themselves find this amusing and the Guardian present different views on the subject with Levine (an American artist) showing some support for this: “IAE is about trying to create a more sensitive language, acknowledging the realities of how things [made by artists] work”. He argues that the earlier trend in art criticism (50s and 60s) was “politically chauvinistic [and] authoritarian”; something that had to be “overturned”. On the other hand, Rule (art critic and sociologist) believes it to be oppressive and “not particularly healthy”.
Both Levine and Rule claim they are “guilty” of IAE use and find it particularly interesting. They have produced a critical essay where they carried out a content analysis of a number of gallery press releases and their findings are presented online. It’s a really interesting read. Both critics agree that, to some extent, the use of this type of language is fitting with the sense of exclusivity amongst the art set where: “the more you can muddy the waters around the meaning of a work… the more you can keep the value high”, (Levine, 2012) and art is no longer merely decorative but “sold with a garnish of rhetoric”, (the Guardian, 2013).
We probably shouldn’t expect that the globalised art world’s language will become … inclusive. More likely, the elite of that world will opt for something like conventional highbrow English, (Rule and Levine, 2012).
This article poses an interesting comparison to the language of fashion and, in particular, that of fashion magazines like Vogue, where these have become more inclusive in their writing style; still there are elements of jargon but generally Vogue has moved away from the more technical detail and towards a greater focus on the desirability and wear-ability of a garment, (Konig, 2006).
References:
Konig, A. (2006). Glossy words: An analysis of fashion writing in British Vogue. Fashion Theory. 10(1/2). Pp. 205-224.
Rule, A. and Levine, D. (2012). International art English: on the rise – and the space – of the art-world press release. Triple Canopy. 16.
The Guardian, (2013). A user’s guide to artspeak. [Online]. Available at: http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/2013/jan/27/users-guide-international-art-english. [Accessed on: 6th Feb 2013].
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