The following is blog post by John Pototschnick - a very good read and thought provoking......

Art buying…emotional or practical?

Posted on September 3, 2017

Eric Rhoads is a career entrepreneur with 30 years of launching companies and media brands, creating startups, and building businesses, including over 40 years’ experience in the radio broadcasting field, 25 years in the publishing business, and a decade in the art industry. He is also chairman of the board of Streamline Publishing, Inc. which was the moving force behind the creation of my first DVD, “Limited Palette Landscapes”…available HERE.

Eric Rhoads

 

In addition to being a consultant and adviser to companies in media, technology, digital media, and art, he also writes a weekly letter that is sent primarily to the art community, titled “Sunday Coffee”.  In a 20 August 2017 article he speaks of the emotional drive, present in all of us, that pretty much affects every purchase we make. I’m excerpting the major theme of the article and want to share it with you. I think it’s good.

Norman Rockwell – “Thanksgiving, Mother and Son Peeling Potatoes” – 35″ x 33.46″ – Oil   (1945)

 

“Emotions drive everything. It’s something I talk about from time to time on my marketing blog. People may rationalize the purchase of a painting with practicalities about how it’s a perfect match to the couch, or explain why that shiny red sports car is more practical because it gets better gas mileage. But the reality is that emotion is running our lives and decisions; we owe it all to emotions.”

Camille Pissarro – “Bouquet of Flowers” – 21.65″ x 18.27″ – Oil   (1873)

 

“If rational decisions ruled our lives, there would be no art, no paintings, no galleries, no giant overbuilt houses, and no sports cars. Instead we would all live in small brick bunkers with no decorations. Thankfully, most of us prefer something that scratches our emotional itch. Art may be one of the most emotional of all decisions, yet its power to trigger emotions is also healing. Ever look at a painting and take a deep sigh, as if you’d just entered paradise? I have, many times.

“The emotion of art transforms us to other places in our minds. Hospitals have discovered this, which is why many have giant art budgets and hundreds of paintings. The pain of being ill or visiting a loved one in a hospital can be relieved for a brief moment because a painting transports us to a different place. Who needs Star Trek? Just go to a museum.”

William Adolphe Bouguereau – “Little Girl Holding Apples” – 36.81″ x 21.65″ – Oil   (1895)

 

“Speaking of museums…If you stop and think about the institutions in our lives, most are based on the healing power of art or the arts. Some of the world’s biggest, most impressive public buildings are dedicated to the arts … painting, music, dance. The biggest ones house paintings and sculpture: The Louvre. The Hermitage. The Prado. The Met.

“If that doesn’t convince you of the lasting power of art, nothing will.”

***************************************************