I understand that an art work that borders on bland, is uncontroversial, and safely abstract might seem like something one would buy if you’re looking for pretty decoration to go over (and match?) your sofa. There’s plenty of people who think this way, which is why big box home goods stores stock this stuff. But someone please tell this artist why someone in a managerial position or one who makes decisions on product development would look at this really bad painting (above) and say: “you know what? This has potential and we need to mass-produce it!”
I was at an unnamed-for-now home goods store and saw these paintings for sale there. They are made to look painterly, with visual “brush strokes” but are in fact mass-produced items, probably available in multiple sizes. I didn’t even bother to check the prices, but my guess is that they’re all less than $100. I wonder how many of these two pieces are out there in the world hanging in people’s homes?
There’s part of me that might be tempted to buy one and hang it as a joke, in the sense of finding humor in how bad or how cheesy it is. There’s also a part of me that might like buying one and then painting on top of it, adding elements to make it surreal, strange, or even more bad. That could be fun. It makes me think of the artist who goes by the moniker “T Bang,” Terrell Powell, who checks into hotels, and then adds his own touch to the generic art hanging on the wall in the hotel room. If you’re not familiar with his story, check out this video profile.