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But it's all been said before - many times! His article regurgitates known ideas as much as traditional realist art does. You have to ask yourself whether you want to please yourself or reassure and gain the approval of people-in-the-know who might not be in-the-know as much as they proclaim.
In a time when human psychological disorders and transgressions (so-called) are not considered as degrading as they once were, but something to be, perhaps, proud of; something that gains attention and concern, and something that, when come to terms with, could be an aid to personal growth. In a time such as this, why is sentimentality so frowned upon. Surely it is as valid and real a human emotion as the more aggressive human emotions that are so highly regarded by Modernists. Freud (Sigmund) considered the quiet emotions false happiness - this type of mood was akin to death, he thought, and the only validly positive emotions were the active and productive ones - those akin to life. He was wrong. Quiet contemplation is necessary for human beings to process the information gained from living actively in the world. It is the source of philosophy, and the means of adapting to circumstance. Sentimentality has it's place in the cycle of human emotions and should be lived through and respected in order to achieve an intelligent balance of self.
There may be, apparently, too many artists pursuing the route of high realism, but you have to ask yourself why. You have to look at the phenomenon objectively and not respond from a disgruntled Modernist viewpoint.
The trouble with Modernist ideals - i.e the pursuit of the new and the eschewing of the already-been-done is that you methodically eliminate subjects and styles open to the artist. There are only so many things one can do with paint. Modernism ended with Minimalism - a blank canvas. In this stripping the art of painting of subjects and styles meaning itself was lost. This current-day obsession with high realism is, in my opinion, a search (perhaps unconsious in quite a few cases) for that Holy Grail; the point to art; the reason you take up the tools of your craft in the first place - a thorough and rigorous sifting through the impressions of the real world where artistic meaning was discovered in the first place.
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