Buy a painting of your team number!

[KenWittlief]

art is a reflection of the inner nature of the artist. When you look at a painting an artist has created what you are really seeing is the world through the eyes of that artist

which tells you a great deal about that person. If you connect with the artist through their work, then you have connected with another human on a very deep and profound level.

That being said, a lot of nonsense has been passed off as art over the years, esp since the invention of photography, when many artists said "what are we going to do for a living NOW?"

You cant judge an artist by one work. This series of number paintings is in essence one piece of work. The question is, what else has this artist produced?

If the answer is nothing, then this is a shallow attempt to make money on the internet. Looking at the website I see no reference to any other work by this person, so I am leading toward the negative.

By contrast, if someone like Andy Warhol had done something like this it would be taken more seriously, because of the wealth of things he had created during his life.

[Tetraman]

174 is still open....If I had a piggy bank I'd crack it open.

[Dan Zollman]

WOW. Are those numbers really what's shown on the bottom of the front page? The plain blue ones with the white background?

I understand that art can be anything and art can be simple. A collage of cutouts from a newspaper can be art and a nail glued to a yellow piece of paper can be art. I can out the letter A in Times New Roman on a normal piece of paper and cut it out, and that's art...right?

Second, we make better paintings of numbers (any color, any size, any font, directly on any surface) for less than a dollar by printing and cutting out letters or numbers, tracing, cutting out of poster or foam board, and using a little spray paint.

I don't know why anybody would pay $60 for one of those or why people would want it enough for the prices to go up that high.

I think it makes a certain statement about our culture, both because those numbers are honored as art and also because such art is valued so highly.

[Ebolagirl]

Originally Posted by worldbringer

I understand that art can be anything and art can be simple. A collage of cutouts from a newspaper can be art and a nail glued to a yellow piece of paper can be art. I can out the letter A in Times New Roman on a normal piece of paper and cut it out, and that's art...right?...

I think it makes a certain statement about our culture, both because those numbers are honored as art and also because such art is valued so highly.

If you are trying to make a statement or you have certain intentions behind creating that piece of art (perhaps Dada-istic intentions), then yes, that would be considered art. But, this is all art philosophy, a very fluffy subject, but one I am passionate about because I create "art" on occasion (when I'm not consumed by other things, like building robots, etc.)

And yes, the kind of art we value now-a-days in totally a reflection of our culture. If you look throughout history every time there has been a major cultural change (and even minor cultural changes) the has been a revolution in the types of literature, music, and art produced. One of the most prominant example is the change that occured at the end of the Victorian era into the "Modern" era. Modern art came about and the older styles of painting (landscapes, etc.) became less popular. Artists began experimenting with different mediums. Even the rank of artists in society changed, from highly revered and respected to more outcasted. So yeah, basically art says a lot.

[windup zeppelin]

this has got me to think about makeing the team #'s in coligraphy

[Billfred]

Originally Posted by Chrisms

i tend to agree with him... It's a number, painted. the number.. in blue... probably times new roman.

Actually, it's another font. The font seen on the artworks is a sans-serif font, meaning they lack the little "feet" seen in a serif font like Times New Roman.

That said, I can say with absolute certainty that whatever font they did use doesn't come with Mac OS X 10.4.6. (Only one of the fonts was a decent match for that somewhat distinctive 1 in the above photo, and none could match the 6.)

Fonts are an interesting thing to play with, especially when you're looking to differentiate your words. While fonts such as Verdana, Arial, and Times New Roman tend to rule the day on the Web, you can really get creative with printed items. Compare, for example, 1293's 2004 t-shirt (seen here) with the team's 2006 shirt. Neither is a bad shirt, but most would agree that the latter is a bit more distinctive. Arial Black (which is the typeface used for the 1293 on the 2004 shirt) is a bit more common than Blade Runner (used for 2006), which would help it to stand out a bit better in a crowd of numbered shirts.

(Granted, uniqueness can also lead to multiple teams using the same font for its uniqueness--I know for a fact that 121 uses the same font on their shirts and robot.)

[Reyner]

Originally Posted by sanddrag

Whoever is doing it will probably become filthy rich from it.

Originally Posted by Ryan Dognaux

These things are awesome and the internet makes it possible.

Yeah, it's kind of a stupid thing, but it just goes to show you what the internet can do!

[Koko Ed]

I wouldn't get too worked up over this. It's easy enough to just say no and if someone chooses to spend your money on this then that is thier business. Better than wasting it on gambling I suppose.
I don't expect it to make millions though.

[sanddrag]

well, if they sell every one of them at just $50 that is still $50,000.

[Koko Ed]

Originally Posted by sanddrag

well, if they sell every one of them at just $50 that is still $50,000.

Why would you be so angry if somebody had come up with a surefire way to make money. If you are going to be angry at someone be angry at the people who are "wasting" thier money.

[RoboMadi]

Originally Posted by Koko Ed

Why would you be so angry if somebody had come up with a surefire way to make money. If you are going to be angry at someone be angry at the people who are "wasting" thier money.

LOL. so true.
just wondering "WHO BOUGHT 612? " (like i care )

[Bill_Hancoc]

i was looking at their price scheme and the value=1000-number so is the number 1000 free??? and why are higher numbers still cheaper???whats so special about the low numbers?? AND DUE TO THE EXTREMELY HIGH DEMAND IT MAY TAKE WEEKS BEFORE YOU R PAINTING IS READY TO SHIP. what is so special that it takes weeks????i could print these all off with my printer in a matter of days...if that

[mechanicalbrain]

Mines sold already!

[Daniel_LaFleur]

Art is perception. If you believe something is art then it is art.

Saying it is 'stupid' though tends to be rather shortsighted. Just because it does not match your description of art, does not not make it art.

Personally, I don't think this is art, but I don't have any issues with those that do believe it is art. I also don't believe that those twisted, mangled pieces of iron in front of the library is art, even though they call it modern art [but thats probably just my perception].

What this 'artist' is doing is being an entrepreneur, and selling something that (apparently) the market wants. Its no different than selling pixels on a web page or pet rocks for your bedroom.

I won't buy one because I don't see it as art. If someone else does....who am I to disagree.