In his Speakeasy, Miklos Legrady asks What is Art? He admits art is not everything, going on to com- ment that art is not what is said but how it is said. Perhaps art includes what is said, as the artist choos- es what topics to expound on and chooses the opin- ion he produces in their artwork, be it visual art, per- formance, music, or literature. Art is an individual expression of the artist.
How it is said is, of course, of utmost importance. Artists, opposed to non-artists, have the mastery to create expressions that the public pays attention to, due to the quality of the artwork. Artists featured in the articles in this issue, chosen by prominent gal- leries and institutions to display their work are all skilled and creative thinkers and producers of art. Their art is created by their minds, hearts, and hands, with enthusiasm for the topic inducing them to create the art necessary to its production, and technical expertise allowing them to create and pro- duce art paid attention to by the art public.
Those minds and hearts and hands express different cultural concerns, attitudes, and ways of making, but all are valid because, as their expertise and skill bring them to the top of their game, they are done well.
Peruvian, African, Argentinian, British, Greek, Ger- man/Swiss artists and others of international stat- ure written about in this issue have merged diverse ways of envisioning and producing art, often invent-
ing different processes and media. Gerhard Richter and artists in the Royal Academy and Hayward Gal- lery shows explore varied media and stretch the boundaries of painting, photography, and sculpture, erasing borders between arts to invent new forms. Liviana Martin writes about El Greco who defied the Italian Renaissance style, choosing to follow the icons of Byzantine culture to arrive at his elongated figures and individual style, proving here, as for Ger- hard Richter and artists represented at the RA and Hayward, African, Argentinian, and Peruvian gal- leries, once an artist is adept at technique in their style and technique, individual style and the found- ing of new processes with individualized results, fol- lows.
Questioning the status quo of artists represented, as David Goldenberg has noted at the RA is a valid dis- cussion for artists and curators to embark upon. Considering new knowledge and representation of current artists, we must now confront, and incorpo- rate viewpoints expressed by individual artists in their work.
This constant questioning, changing, considering, inventing, and standing up for their viewpoints keeps art and artists current, and as the title of the Hayward exhibit acknowledges “keeps forms alive”.
Nancy Nesvet