Interpretations of ‘Youth’ (similarly for the contrary; ‘Elderly’) should be reframed; as the experience of youth is diverse; it can be a vibrant energy full of questioning and desire, as it can also be a heavy and lethargic experience full of anxieties. One can be naive, or inexperienced or irresponsible, and/or can be clever, questioning and curious with a fierce need to survive and thrive.
So if there is no universal experience of age, then these stereotypes are more so experiences we can find all throughout our lives; especially as an ever redefining and developing artist. Regarding the arts, we bring an interpretation, an analysis or a judgement on the relevance and pertinence of the concept and visual attraction of a work.
Therefore, the age of the artist behind the work should have little influence in that judgement (except perhaps for when there is relevance in the relation between their age and the concepts of their work). Therefore ‘ageism’ and ‘ageist’ approaches in the arts should be deconstructed, as we consider a work not as a direct response to the age of an artist, but as a judgement of the relevance of concepts, technique and aesthetic of the artists’ work.
Ageism has taken different forms in the arts; in earlier eras, an artist would be appreciated after reaching said ‘maturity’. Only then would they be considered capable of ‘mastering’ their craft and technique, growing wise in their concepts and philosophy. Today, I am confronted with more complaints around ageism benefiting ‘younger’ artists and discriminating against ‘older’ artists. But can the artist bring a sense of ageless-ness to their work ? When we are awed by an ‘ageless’ work, we find ourselves experiencing solely the object and therefore are reminded that the artist’s age has no value in that judgement. This in hand means that the quality of the works in themselves challenge ageism, as we consider and judge the pieces without considering the age of the creator. The level of practice and interest of the work will be developed from an intersection of experiences and considerations far more important than the artists age.
dré fuzz
