Post #386258 by Sailor Curt on Wed, Jun 11, 2008 7:05 AM

I find this discussion a bit confusing as I am not 100% certain that I get the crux of what this thread is trying to get to.

Is this about what is or isn't "authentic" tiki art? Or just what appeals to one's personal taste?

There is an old adage that goes something like, "I don't know what pornography is, but I'll know it when I see it."

For me, the same goes for knowing "authentic" tiki art: I'm not sure I know exactly what authentic tiki art is, but I feel that I know it when I see it (especially after having been immersed in this scene for as long as I have and knowing some of its history). Call it a gut feeling.

For me personally, I define truly "authentic" tiki lounge art as those pieces that were actually created "back in the day" and are as much pieces of history as they are art.

I like art, but don't know much about it on a purely intellectual level as far as debates like these go. I leave that to the art history majors. I just know what I like and tend to be a bit of a purist in my tastes, as noted above.

As for all of the "new" artists, well, some of them appeal directly to my personal sense of what authentic tiki art is and some of them don't.

I like Shag because he captures the "essence" of what the appeal of Mid-Century Modern tiki and pop culture was/is. His art is not "authentic" in the truly historical sense, but he captures the essence and charm of that era perfectly.

Does any of what I wrote make any sense?

[Edited to correct spelling].

http://www.labyrinth13.com
http://www.myspace.com/labyrinth_13
http://www.myspace.com/lmlibertine

[ Edited by: Sailor Curt 2008-06-11 07:38 ]