Customer Reviews

Everyday Genius: Self-Taught Art and the Culture of Authenticity

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4 star:		(1)
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This book addresses everything: the folk art (the term I'm used to) world, the art world and the whole world, because ultimately, any and all worlds are about socio-economic factors. This book is practically a unified theory on socio-economic relationships. If you liked Tom Wolfe's Painted Word, you should read this one.

Everyday Genius does a great job of revealing the insiders' world of folk art, and yes, it addresses the debate over what to call the field.

When "Self-Taught Art", "Contemporary Folk Art", "Outsider Art", "Art Brut" or whatever you wish to call (definition of this style is just one section of the book) is finally looked upon as a ligimate movement of Style this book will be a reference that is constantly looked upon to show the difficulties there was and currently is in the acceptance of this Art into the mainstream.

The chapters and their break up are clearly referenced and the debate that they create is magnificent. I thought it was as simple as "Art for Arts sake" before reading this book but now I know that there is a lot more to this genre of Art.

Compelling reading that anyone who owns or is looking at venturing into future purchases of "Self Taught Art" should read before opening their wallets.

This book can be long, wordy and involved reading. I for one was not quite expecting such a deep, philosophical discussion. However, I have enjoyed most of my experience with this great book. Every artist - or anyone interested in art - would greatly benefit from the perspective that Fine brings to the art world in general, not just Folk or Self-Taught Art. He talks about the quandary of defining art as a whole and then again into subdivisions (such as Self-Taught vs. Fine art). He talks about the importance and difficulty of assigning labels (Self-Taught, Folk Art, Outsider Art) and how that can be limiting or empowering. Sometimes he gets more in depth in the Folk Art scene than I have the ability (or interest) to follow, but the philosophical discussion is very valuable.

A disappointing book that does not cover its title.

Art is visual, not cerebral.