Where does NFT Art sit next to Traditional Art?

Every new art movement has a moment when people ask whether it is really art.

The Impressionists faced it when they began painting light and everyday scenes in ways that challenged the traditions of the academy. Picasso and the Cubists changed the way people thought about what a painting could look like. Duchamp placed an ordinary object in a gallery and called it art.

Photography had to find its place too.

Each time, the boundaries moved.

NFT art arrived with a similar question.

Digital artists had already been making art for decades, but NFTs introduced something new: a way to identify, collect and record ownership of a digital artwork on a blockchain.

Suddenly, digital art could enter a world that had traditionally belonged to paintings, sculptures and photographs.

In 2021, Christie’s offered Beeple’s Everydays: The First 5000 Days, a purely digital NFT-based artwork, for auction. It sold for US$69.3 million, becoming a landmark moment for digital art and bringing NFT art directly into one of the traditional art world’s most established institutions. Christie’s has continued to hold sales of digital art and NFTs since then. (Christie's)

There was also a great deal of speculation and noise around NFTs, particularly during the boom. It became easy to confuse the technology and the market with the art itself.

But the same thing has happened around other art movements. The arguments surrounding Impressionism were not really about whether paint existed. They were about what people believed painting should be.

Perhaps NFTs are part of that same continuing conversation.

A digital artwork does not become less of an artwork because it exists on a screen. Just as a photograph did not become less important because it could be reproduced, or a ready-made less important because it wasn't traditionally made by hand.

Artists keep finding new ways to make things.

The interesting question is not whether NFT art belongs beside traditional art.

It is what this new medium might eventually become once the noise around it has quietened.

Because art history has a habit of doing that.

What once seemed strange can eventually become part of the story.

Popular posts from this blog

NFT Weekly Archive Dec 2023

Image
Nine artists, nine different approaches to digital art. This original NFT Weekly feature captures a moment in the early NFT art movement, bringing together artists who were creating, experimenting and finding their place in a rapidly changing digital world. Artist: Sam Spratt X Profile: @SamSpratt Artwork: Infinity Ceremony Sam Spratt has created a striking scene. Two primal figures, reminiscent of our ape ancestors, engage in a gentle exchange inside a cave. The male offers the female figure something that appears to be of great value, possibly water or food, inside a skull. The earthy tones surrounding this scene bring a sense of ancient intimacy, making us feel as though we are looking back at the very roots of human connection. The natural hues and cave-like setting transport us to a time before civilization, when survival and companionship were vital. Spratt's skill lies in his ability to show both the harshness of existence and the warmth of sentient interaction. He invites u...
Read more

NFT Weekly Archive Nov 2023

Image
A look back at nine artists featured by NFT Weekly during the early years of the NFT art movement. Discover the artists, styles and ideas that were part of a rapidly changing digital art world Artist: Data Velvet X Profile:  @DataVelvet Artwork: River of the Sun Data Velvet has created a stunning piece with such  peaceful and vibrant beauty. The way the trees, and the rays of the sun, snake out of the darker areas of the composition is so effective. The piece has a traditional Japanese feel to it, especially in the stylisation and the use of colour. A truly gorgeous piece and an artwork which encourages the viewer to sit and admire the intricate details in the landscape.   Artist: Grace Anata X Profile:  @grace_anata Artwork: Help Me Breathe The wafting fabric and the nude, unfocused, figure give this piece ethereal beauty. The sense of movement is enhanced by the way the figure emerges out of the black background. This piece has a Man Ray type simplicity to it ...
Read more

NFT Weekly Archive Oct 2023

Image
Nine artists, nine different visions of digital art. This original NFT Weekly feature captures a moment when artists were exploring new ways to create, share and collect art online. Artist: Arya Bima X Profile:  @rearyabaim Artwork: Present This quirky piece, by Arya, has a fantastical quality to it like a more classical version of the Surrealist Salvador Dali. The details are delicate and beautiful, the brains in a covered dish and the little yellow butterfly, for example, have a natural history element to them, which is both whimsical and interesting. This is a very seamless work and the muted tones and creative imagery make it a wonderful artwork to view.   Artist: Oveck  X Profile:  @oveck Artwork: Balance Oveck's piece is such a beautiful work, with such a lovely colour palette. The central figure appears to be melting or succumbing to the power emanating from the omnipotent hand from above.  The two figures behind have an alie...
Read more