Artistic Reputation Research Articles

The fragility of artists’ reputations from 1795 to 2020

This study explores the longevity of artistic reputation. We empirically examine whether artists are more- or less-venerated after their death. We construct a massive historical corpus spanning 1795 to 2020 and build separate word-embedding models for each five-year period to examine how the reputations of over 3,300 famous artists-including painters, architects, composers, musicians, and writers-evolve after their death. We find that most artists gain their highest reputation right before their death, after which it declines, losing nearly one SD every century. This posthumous decline applies to artists in all domains, includes those who died young or unexpectedly, and contradicts the popular view that artists' reputations endure. Contrary to the Matthew effect, the reputational decline is the steepest for those who had the highest reputations while alive. Two mechanisms-artists' reduced visibility and the public's changing taste-are associated with much of the posthumous reputational decline. This study underscores the fragility of human reputation and shows how the collective memory of artists unfolds over time.

The Women behind the Abbey: Dolly Robinson and Irish Theatrical Networks

ABSTRACT This paper revives the work and reputation of artist Dolly Robinson, focusing on her as a lynchpin of many cultural circles in Dublin from the 1920s to the 1940s. Drawing on the archive of Robinson papers, it assesses her contribution to the development of a distinctive Irish theatrical tradition and reveals a woman with strong connections to the Irish artistic milieu of her day. Her work and collaborations reflect some of the many interactions between visual art and literary culture. Her exhibition of paintings and various Abbey set pieces are examined alongside the productions and adaptations of these years, and how they underpinned the output of some of the major literary figures of the era. Specifically, Robinson’s literary influence on her husband and contemporaries is considered in the context of female collaboration, an enabling but overlooked presence that mirrored the role of many women in a newly independent Ireland.

Investigate the Impact of the Current Watercolour Painting Market Situation on the Development of the Watercolour Painting Market in China. Market Environment as a Mediator

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of the current watercolour painting market situation in China on the development of the watercolour painting market in China. In addition, this study investigates the role of the watercolour painting market environment in China as a moderating variable in the relationship between the current state of the watercolour painting market in China and its future development. Theoretical framework: Contemporary Chinese art and culture exist in a society that is open and pluralistic. Through the efforts of several generations, they have created not only a magnitude but also a vast market. In a technologically based society, technologically based painting is on the verge of extinction. The construction of cultural artistic conception and character is a novel topic in the art education and instruction of contemporary Chinese watercolour painting. Design/Methodology/Approach: A total of 495 respondents participated in the survey comprised of 110 watercolour artist collectors, 220 watercolour paintings and 165 lectors and business intermediaries 165. This study was a cross-sectional study where the data collection period is from August to October 2021. A survey with a closed-ended and self-administered format was conducted in order to collect data. The questionnaire is divided into two sections, Smart PLS was used to analyse the data and identify any significant relationships between the variables. There was a correlation between being a colour artist and collecting watercolour paintings. Findings: This study focuses on watercolour painters, watercolour collectors, and commercial intermediaries., according to the findings. This suggests that artists are more likely than non-artists to collect watercolour paintings. In addition, the study revealed that business intermediaries play a crucial role in facilitating the sale of these paintings. The study revealed that watercolour painting is a popular art form among both artists and collectors. Watercolour paintings have been a popular art form for centuries, and this study confirms that their popularity remains strong among both artists and collectors. The delicate beauty of watercolours, with their translucent washes of colour and soft edges, is particularly appealing to those who appreciate the subtleties of art. Research, practical & social implications: This study found that watercolour paintings are highly valued by business intermediaries, who recognize their potential as investments. In fact, many galleries and auction houses specialize in selling watercolours, and the market for these works continues to grow. Originality/Value: it is important to note that not all watercolour paintings are created equal - some are more highly prized than others based on factors such as the artist's reputation, the quality of the materials used, and the subject matter depicted. Overall, this study underscores the enduring appeal of watercolour paintings and their continued relevance in today's art world. This research provides valuable insights into the relationship between colour artists, collections of watercolour paintings, and art industry intermediaries.

Historical Factors Influencing Water Colour Painting Market Environment and Development in China Market Supervisor as a Moderator

Purpose: China has a long history of art, including watercolour painting, which has garnered international acclaim. China can gain recognition for its artistic accomplishments and contribute to the global art community by preserving and promoting the practise of watercolour painting both domestically and internationally. Theoretical framework: The tale of the development of Chinese watercolour painting is intricate and multidimensional, reflecting the impact of several historical events (Li, 2023; Yin,2022). These elements have all contributed to the creation of this stunning and lasting art form, from the rich philosophical and cultural traditions of China to the impact of aesthetic trends and technical advancements. Design/Methodology/Approach: A total of 495 respondents participated in the survey comprised of 110 watercolour artist collectors, 220 watercolour paintings and 165lectors and business intermediaries 165. This study was a cross-sectional study where the data collection period is from August to October 2021. Using Smart PLS, the collected data is analysed. Findings: The study revealed that watercolour painting is a popular art form among both artists and collectors. Watercolour paintings have been a popular art form for centuries, and this study confirms that their popularity remains strong among both artists and collectors. The delicate beauty of watercolours, with their translucent washes of colour and soft edges, is particularly appealing to those who appreciate the subtleties of art. Research, practical & social implications: This study found that watercolour paintings are highly valued by business intermediaries, who recognize their potential as investments. In fact, many galleries and auction houses specialize in selling watercolours, and the market for these works continues to grow. Originality/Value: It is important to note that not all watercolour paintings are created equal - some are more highly prized than others based on factors such as the artist's reputation, the quality of the materials used, and the subject matter depicted. Overall, this study underscores the enduring appeal of watercolour paintings and their continued relevance in today's art world.

The Influence of Political Engagement on Artistic Reputation. Self-Evaluations of Artists

The Influence of Political Engagement on Artistic Reputation. Self-Evaluations of Artists

New Italian Cinema Events in Russia: Interview with Viviana del Bianco

The New Italian Cinema Events (NICE) was established in the United States in 1990, in 1993 in Russia and, over the years, in many other countries. Viviana del Bianco, artistic director of NICE, illustrates the history of this festival and explains the reasons of the success of the festival which launches young Italian filmmakers, thus giving them the opportunity to establish an international artistic reputation. In this interview, del Bianco also explains the genesis and cultural impact of the Contemporary Russian Film Festival in Florence established in 2019 which promotes the work of new Russian talents in Italy.

The economics of art: price determinants and returns on investment in Indian paintings

PurposeThe valuation of artworks is challenging since their value encompasses economic, social and cultural values. This study examines two specific questions about the economics of Indian art market: first, the determinants of the price of paintings by Indian artists and second, the risk and return characteristics of investment in Indian paintings. The authors also analyze the role of local context for both questions.Design/methodology/approachThis study uses 8,865 paintings that are auctioned between January, 2000 and June, 2018. A generalized additive model (GAM) is employed to identify the determinants of auction prices and estimate art market price index.FindingsThe results indicate that the price of paintings in the Indian market is impacted by both global and local factors. Consistent with the previous research, this study finds that provenance, literature, living status of an artist, artist reputation, auction house, location and gender determine prices. However, the unique behavior of artwork medium and art movement affiliation in the Indian art market signifies the importance of local context in the valuation of artworks. An analysis of the second aspect of the study, i.e. risk and return characteristics of art investment, suggests that though overall art market returns are not lucrative, there are sub-sections in the market that outperform stocks and other assets. Further, the Indian art market shows a weak or negative correlation with other assets, thus making it a good candidate for a diversified portfolio. One of the important findings of this study is that artworks created by artists associated with the Bombay Progressive Artists' Group (PAG) command a significant price premium over all other artworks. Moreover, the average return on investment in paintings by artists affiliated to the Bombay PAG is not only significantly better than other art movements but also higher than all other art assets.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the growing literature on the economics of art market by providing a comprehensive analysis of the economics of Indian paintings. This research highlights the importance of local factors in price determination and on the risk and return characteristics of art investment. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, it is the most comprehensive study of the economics of Indian painting market and the first study to identify the relationship between Indian art movements and prices of paintings and returns on investment in paintings.

A statistical analysis of the catalogues and criticism of the 19th-century Paris Fine Art Salon: The emergence of titling in the French art world

Abstract The dominant institution in the French art world for the display of new art for most of the 19th century was the Paris Salon. Artistic reputations depended upon showing works at the Salon, and critics made their names through writing about the event. In this article, statistical analysis of the contents and structure of the catalogues of the Salon and of Salon criticism is utilized to understand how the practice of titling new paintings emerged and was adopted in the 19th-century French art world. My work shows how statistical methods can be used to investigate practical and conceptual change, and problematizes accounts of the emergence of titling given by earlier authors. There are also methodological lessons for those working in the digital humanities from the approach adopted in this article.

Painters in Byzantium and beyond - their social status and reputation

The paper examines the social position and reputation of artists, primarily painters, in Byzantium and the countries under its cultural influence, in the area of the socalled Byzantine Commonwealth. It concludes that painters were treated like all other craftsmen in many aspects of social life from the time of the Book of Eparch (from the tenth century). Nevertheless, some artists were highly respected, and this prestige manifested itself in different ways: prominent painters were praised for their artistic skill or their wisdom and education, some were engaged as witnesses or guarantors in court cases due to their civic and personal credibility, some enjoyed a reputation that stemmed from their other profession - many of them were members of the clergy (priests, hieromonks, monks, hegoumenoi, chartophylaxes, metropolitans), some were elected state, city or military officials, and judges, and some were sent on diplomatic missions. Accordingly, many painters were addressed by the title kyr (Sir), which also testifies to their reputation and social status. Others, however, were forced to earn a living by trading, sometimes even by farming or herding. On the other hand, sources testify that occasionally figures of the highest social ranks (emperors, archbishops, metropolitans, nobles) also dabbled in painting, but they usually did so for fun, and are thus rightly seen in scholarship as amateur painters and cannot be used to illuminate the social status of painters. It seems, however, that the artist?s reputation, about which this paper provides original testimonies and a range of other indicators, generally did not bring a better or higher social status to the painters themselves, so until the end of the Middle Ages, much as in the tenth century, as evidenced by the Book of Eparch, they retained the status of artisans. To corroborate that claim, the paper brings original data on the social strata from which apprentices in painting workshops were recruited and the social circles from which came the spouses of painters or their family members.

An Evaluation of Reputation Using Online Auction Data for a Group of American Watercolorists

To understand the relation between artistic reputation and sales prices from popular online auction sites, we analyzed over 3,000 online auction sales of 87 American artists who had expertise in watercolor using the websites eBay, LiveAuctioneers, and EBTH. Traditional indexes of reputation were measured by museum placements, as well as archival holdings, and book references and we also included the number of Instagram mentions. We used hierarchical linear modeling to investigate the relation of reputation with average prices as well as price trends over time, controlling for individual painting characteristics such as size and medium. All of our artistic reputation indicators, including number of Instagram hashtag references, were positively related to the average sales price per artist. Our results extend the literature on the role of artistic reputation to account for social media via Instagram, as well as provide one of the first empirical investigations of popular online art auctions.

NFTs and Value

NFTs and Value

Noël Coypel’s educational journey to Rome at the end of 1672 and the beginning of 1673

The aim of this article is to present the circumstances of Noël Coypel’s appointment as rector of the French Academy in Rome and to trace the route of his didactic journey from Paris to Rome with the Prix de Rome scholars entrusted to him. The paper is an attempt to answer the following questions: why a more difficult route through the Alps was chosen (and not, for example, a river and sea route), in what way was the journey educational, and what role did the documents given to Coypel play in securing the expedition.
 The article is based on an analysis of administrative records during the reign of Louis XIV, lists of superintendents and directors of the French Academy in Rome, accounts of royal buildings, and minutes of the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture in Paris. The paper uses the analytical method, the comparative method, the synthetic method, source criticism, argumentum ex silentio inference, and the geographical method when discussing the itinerary.
 Although the trip was purposeful and related to Coypel’s new position, he designed it in such a way as to not so much get to the destination quickly, but to show his students as much as possible. Coypel introduced the royal scholars to masterpieces of painting and sculpture at centers along a route through Dijon, Lyon, Chambéry, the Mont Cenis Pass, Turin, Milan, Bologna and Florence. The crossing of the Alps, though dangerous, was most often chosen because of the artistic reputation of the cities there. The trip was educational at the expense of comfort or safety. Coypel, as a guide and teacher (paidagōgós – παιδαγωγός) led his charges by overseeing their learning during and through the journey. Wandering to the Eternal City was part of a painter’s education (paideía – παιδεία) in the seventeenth century and was part of Coypel’s didactic work allowing young people to be inspired by direct exposure to masterpieces. The journey had an eminently didactic and artistic character, but also an initiatory one, as it gradually initiated and prepared the students for the experience of Rome, the center of artistic life at that time.

Horizontal and vertical differentiation in comic art auctions

AbstractThis study investigates how vertical (quality‐related) and horizontal (taste‐related) differentiation influences the probability of sale and market price of auctioned artworks. We explore a new art market, namely, original comic works. By including unsold lots, we correct the selection bias commonly found in the literature. We propose an original set of variables accounting for vertical differentiation in this market (i.e., commercial and critical successes, the artist's reputation, role, and recognition). Vertically differentiated artworks do not sell better, but warrant a premium. Regarding horizontal differentiation, newly explored variables have a significant effect on sales and (often) auction prices.

Investments in Nascent Project-Based Enterprises: The interplay between role-congruent reputations and institutional endorsement

We study nascent project-based enterprises (PBEs) through the lens of upper echelons and institutional theory. We analyse the interplay between the different role-congruent reputations of their project entrepreneurs and the institutional endorsement of their project idea, theorizing how these affect PBEs’ ability to attract private investments. In the context of the Italian film industry, we find that the commercial reputation of the project entrepreneur in the producer role is crucial for attracting investors, while the artistic reputation of the project entrepreneur in the creative director role is crucial for attaining institutional endorsement of the project idea. Finally, we find that the effect of the commercial reputation of the project entrepreneur in the producer role on attracting investments is mediated by the institutional endorsement. We contribute to the literature on PBEs by demonstrating how specific combinations of project entrepreneurs’ roles and (role-congruent) reputations can directly and indirectly attract investments.

Six continents at the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia in Rome: Flavia Laviosa in conversation with Alfredo Baldi

In this interview Alfredo Baldi, historian of the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia (CSC) in Rome, gives a detailed overview of the political, cultural and artistic reasons for the prevalent presence of students from about 100 countries and six continents in all the specializations offered at the CSC in Rome (directing, photography, set design and acting), since its foundation in 1935. More specifically, Baldi explains why the CSC was popular in the 1930s and 1940s among students from the Axis nations in pre-war Europe, mentions the fascination of world artists with Italian neorealism, attributes international interest of the CSC to the artistic reputation of the film professionals who taught at the CSC and expresses his interpretation of the reasons for the large numbers of students from Greece, the Arab nations, Latin America and the United States in the 1950s and 1960s. Since its foundation, the CSC has granted diplomas at the end of the two- or three-year cycle of studies, but starting in the 2021–24 academic cycle, it will grant university degrees. Baldi explains what led to this critical and long overdue academic and administrative shift.

Critical circles and regional reputations: the Chicago imagists and the politics of art world peripheries

Current research on artistic groups suggests the career benefits of being place-based. This article examines the Chicago Imagists—a group defined by local recognition in Chicago and limited national renown—to explain the limits of these benefits when actors’ interests within a local scene diverge. Studying critical discourse on the Imagists from the 1960s to 1980s, we explain how “critical circles,” tied to the interests of regional evaluators, mediate artistic reputations. During initial group formation, Chicago artists and critics shared the goal of developing a distinct local art. However, critics’ investment in defining the boundaries of a “Chicago” style to further their careers ultimately diverged from Imagists’ investment in mastering a broader “American” style to further theirs. Chicago critics’ ensuing debates about the parochial limits of the label—and New York critics’ framing of Imagist work as provincial—further came to organize the very regionalism Imagist artists hoped to evade. We argue that attending to the divergent interests in the cultural field within which collaborative circles operate expands understanding of how affordances of place shape artistic careers. This study has further implications for theorizing the interplay of impression management and strong program perspectives on cultural wealth.

Equestrian Cultures: Horses, Human Society, and the Discourse of Modernity. Edited by Kristen Guest and Monica Mattfield. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2019. Pp. vi+276.

<i>Equestrian Cultures: Horses, Human Society, and the Discourse of Modernity</i>. Edited by Kristen Guest and Monica Mattfield. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2019. Pp. vi+276.

Picturing walls

Abstract Émile Zola’s literary oeuvre continues to provide scholars with one of the most comprehensive accounts of nineteenth-century art and culture. Yet the magnitude of this material has resulted in the works of art acquired by Zola over the course of his lifetime being largely overlooked. By focusing on how this ad hoc collection of more than fifty contemporary works was gathered and subsequently dispersed, this article elucidates the influence of close friendships and professional reciprocity on the reputation of artist and critic alike. It offers an unprecedented corrective to the pioneering article by Jean Adhémar (1960) which partly reproduced the procès-verbal from the posthumous auction of Zola’s estate held in 1903. Using the original version of this document, together with available sales catalogues, letters and Zola’s art writing, it provides the most comprehensive inventory of the works owned by Zola and how they relate to his life and work.

Burning

Burning Michael C. Reiff Burning 2018 Directed by Lee Chang-dong Distributed by Well Go USA Entertainment www.netflix.com 148 minutes It has been nearly a decade since Korean director Lee Chang-Dong directed his two hallmark works: 2010's Poetry and 2007's Secret Sunshine. Dong's artistic reputation has rested comfortably with those film's nuanced character studies, but also with his subtle use of genre, in particular the tropes of crime thrillers. Abductions and death frame and influence each film, but these genre elements are not so much explosive plot developments as quiet shocks that push Dong's characters to deeper introspection and understanding. Using this genre – filled with investigations, authority figures and a searching structure, Dong has also subtle scrutinized wider issues of control, power and privilege in modern Korean society. This holds true with Dong's most recent film, Burning, a film that continues to develop Dong's darker motifs, societal critiques and genre meditations while also integrating outside influences, from Japanese writer Haruki Murakami and F. Scott Fitzgerald to the cinematic language and omnipresence of paranoia in later Hitchcock films. Burning centers around an aspiring writer named Lee Jong-su, who is living in Seoul, South Korea when he has to return to his hometown, an agrarian exurb of the South Korean capital, after his father is arrested for attacking a local government official. Along with upkeeping the failing family farm, Jong-su also becomes re-acquainted with a grade school friend, Shin Hae-mi. After a few dates, they begin a sexual relationship, only to have it cut short when Hae-mi decides to travel to Africa - and asks Jong-su to watch her tiny apartment and feed her (seemingly invisible) cat. Upon her return to South Korea, however, Jong-su finds Hae-mi in a relationship with a wealthy Korean man she met on her travels – named only Ben – though she continues to attempt a friendship with Jong-su. Splitting his time between the rustic greenhouses and cow pens of his village and tagging along with Hae-mi and Ben on lavish dinners and parties in the penthouses of Seoul, Jong- su begins to suspect there is more to Ben than simply directionless affluence. And after a night of drinking and smoking marijuana, Ben admits to a hobby of burning other people's greenhouses, an act he compares to a deistic ritual and which he says he will re-enact soon, and close to Jong-su's house. Even worse, the next day, Hae-mi disappears. With these strange and unsettling developments, Jong-su becomes torn between two seemingly parallel paths, though ones that eventually seem to converge – one, obsessively tracking and monitoring the greenhouses in his rural community, and two, attempting to find out what happened to his former lover. Burning is based on the legendary Japanese novelist Haruki Murakami's short story "Barn Burning" from his short story collection The Elephant Vanishes, and much of the short story's melancholy spirit is maintained, as well as major plot points, characters and a few key dialogue sequences (the short story itself is name-checked in the first five minutes of Burning, as department store promotors announce special deals in anticipation of the "release" of "Barn Burning" by Murakami, an interesting metatextual flourish). Running throughout much of Murakami's pop surrealist novels and spare, dream-like short stories is a wry, distanced sense of melancholy longing. Characters, even while in committed relationships, often feel lonely, rootless, adrift in modern Japanese—and often global—society. Though Burning transposes the setting and characters into South Korea, Dong maintains much of this Murakami's essence, at least in the first half of the film. Even when Jong-su is talking, visiting or making love to Hae-mi, both characters exude a certain yearning – for a version of their relationship that doesn't quite exist in the present, for a resolution to the missed opportunities in their shared past. [End Page 54] This sense of distanced longing and restlessness becomes both more explicit and wider in scope when Ben arrives; Jong-su, though often inches away from Hae-mi, has to endure the indignities of...

Determinants of art prices and performance by movements: Long-run evidence from an emerging market

Art has become an increasingly important asset in the portfolios of investors. However, the literature on the investment attributes of art from emerging markets is limited. We address this gap by analyzing 5961 artworks executed by 69 Venezuelan artists and sold at auctions worldwide between 1969 and 2014, the longest art returns period ever assembled for an emerging market, estimating a hedonic price regression. Geometric mean nominal annual returns were 4.3%, slightly above inflation. Ceteris-paribus, artist reputation explains art prices, the most expensive artworks are sold at Sotheby's and Christie's, are dated and executed in oil, and correspond to the following topics: Abstract, self-portraits, objects, still life, urban and landscape. Venezuelan art exhibits low correlation with Venezuelan and U.S. stocks and bonds. We find, contrary to most of the literature, a strong “masterpiece effect” for Venezuelan art, and also that abstract artworks outperformed portfolios of figurative and landscape paintings.