Art has always been a fascinating reflection of human creativity and culture. While we often focus on the beauty and emotional impact of art, there are also some intriguing statistics behind the scenes.
From the quirks of left-handed artists to the spending habits of New Zealand households, these fun facts offer a unique perspective on the art world.
Let's dive into some surprising and entertaining art statistics!
Although the population in general are more right handed, in comparison there is a greater percentage of artists who are left handed. 11% of the population in the United States is Left-handed. And it has been said it has gone down to 8% in recent times.
The majority of geniuses and artists are left-handed. It has something to do with us using the cretive right side of the brain more than the analytical left side although an artist able to do great marketing etc seems to be capble of using both sides switchig easily.
The long list of left handed artists who have produced some of the world’s most magnificent art is nothing short of phenomenal.
And I can’t leave myself out—I'm a left-handed artist too!
Its hard to work stuff like this out as most artists are not registered but non-Census sources suggest that in regards to gender, there is an even distribution of males and females, although some say its more like 60 percent female on average.
It also went on to say that the average age is around forty years old and most are well-educated compared to the general population.
On the fourth and fifth floors of the Museum of Modern Art in New York, in the galleries devoted to the permanent collection of art from 1879 to 1969, there are currently 399 objects. Only 19 items, or 5% of those objects are by women. A very disappointing revelation
*Meanwhile, from the year 2000 - 2006 only 14 percent of the Guggenheim's solo shows of living artists have been devoted to women.
According to Statistics New Zealand, in the year ending June 2001, New Zealand households spent an estimated $193 million on visual arts activities.
This amounts to approximately $3.7 million a week. On average, each household spent $2.69 per week on visual art goods and services. For those households that reported spending on arts and crafts, the average weekly expenditure was $143. Unfortunately, I couldn't find more recent data!
According to the Ministry for Cuulture & Heritage in New Zealand, the number of filled jobs in the Arts and Creative sector in our country is averaged at 115,114 in the year to March 2022. And the Arts and Creative sector accounts for 4.3% of overall filled jobs in total in New Zealand.
Check out their PDF on statistics for information on artists and employment in New Zealand. It’s an interesting read.
Did you know the Dada creed was "everything the artist spits is art"? This was a movement that emerged during the chaos of World War I and aimed to turn the art world on its head. Founded in Zurich in 1916 by a group of artists and poets, including Hugo Ball, Tristan Tzara, and Hans Arp, Dada was all about challenging and mocking the established standards of art, literature, and society.
The Dadaists loved absurdity, irrationality, and spontaneity, creating works that were often completely nonsensical and provocative. Their art included everything from performance pieces and poetry to collages and ready-made objects. One of the most famous examples is Marcel Duchamp's "Fountain," a porcelain urinal signed "R. Mutt," which really questioned what could be considered art.
The name "Dada" was chosen randomly from a dictionary, showing their disdain for logic and reason. These artists believed that the horrors of war and the absurdity of modern life needed to be expressed through equally absurd art. They used humor, satire, and shock to critique politics, culture, and the art establishment, boldly challenging the status quo.
Some of their works were truly bizarre. For instance, Hans Arp's "Collage with Squares Arranged According to the Laws of Chance" involved dropping pieces of paper onto a larger sheet and gluing them where they landed, defying traditional ideas of design. Kurt Schwitters' "Merz" pieces, made from everyday materials like bus tickets and scraps of paper, elevated the mundane to fine art.
Although Dada didn't last long, its influence was huge. It paved the way for movements like Surrealism and Fluxus and continues to inspire contemporary art that values ideas over aesthetics and embraces unpredictability and playfulness, demonstrating its lasting impact on the art world.
The Dada Movement was a rebellion against the norm, declaring that art could be anything the artist imagined. Whether through absurd performances, strange collages, or provocative ready-mades, Dada continues to inspire and puzzle us all to this day.
Many artists grumble about creating artwork to match someone's curtains, but this isn't a new complaint. Even the renowned Edvard Munch faced this dilemma. In his diaries, he expressed a desire to move away from "painting interiors and women knitting."
Much like the Scandinavian writers of his time, such as Henrik Ibsen and August Strindberg, Munch sought to dive deeper into the essence of the unmasked human experience.
Pablo Picasso's entry into the world was as dramatic as his later art. His mother had such a difficult birth, and he was such a weak baby that the midwife thought he was stillborn and left him on a table to attend to his mother. His uncle, a doctor named Don Salvador, saved him. Without dear old Doctor Salvador, we might never have experienced Picasso's incredible art!
Picasso's life and work were as vibrant and dynamic as his art, leaving an indelible mark on the world of creativity.
Actually no, but in 1911, when the Mona Lisa was stolen from the Louvre, the police took in Picasso's friend, the poet Guillaume Apollinaire. Apollinaire fingered Picasso as a suspect, so the police hauled him in for questioning. Both were later released. Check out this movie snippet on the theft -
In ancient China, artists would deliberately avoid painting women's feet. This practice was deeply rooted in cultural and societal norms of the time, particularly the tradition of foot binding. Foot binding, which began in the Song dynasty and persisted for over a thousand years, involved tightly wrapping young girls' feet to alter their shape, creating the so-called "lotus feet."
This practice was considered a symbol of beauty and status, though it caused significant pain and lifelong disabilities.
Given the painful and often disfigured state of bound feet, it is understandable why artists would choose not to depict them. The cultural reverence for small feet, combined with the physical reality of foot binding, made women's feet a sensitive and private subject. Even more so, feet were often associated with modesty and propriety in Chinese culture, which further discouraged their portrayal in art.
Superstition also played a role in all this. Feet, being the lowest part of the body and in constant contact with the ground, were considered impure or unclean. This perception added to the reluctance to include them in artistic representations.
This avoidance highlights ancient China's complex interplay between cultural practices, societal norms, and artistic expression. It provides a glimpse into how deeply ingrained customs can shape and influence art, reflecting a society's values and beliefs.
The Museum of Modern Art in New York City hung Matisse's ‘Le Bateau’ upside-down for 47 days before an art student noticed the error. You can see by the images below it was an easy mistake to make!
And finally, let's circle back to one of the most iconic and intriguing paintings of all time, my favourite, the famous Mona Lisa. This masterpiece by Leonardo da Vinci has fascinated art lovers for centuries, not just for her enigmatic smile but also for the mysteries hidden within the layers of paint.
Thanks to modern X-ray technology, we've uncovered a fascinating secret: beneath the visible Mona Lisa, there are actually three different versions of the painting. These hidden layers reveal Leonardo's process and artistic evolution as he worked on this portrait.
The first version shows a completely different pose, with the subject looking off to the side. The second version is closer to the final one we see today but with some noticeable differences in the facial expressions and background. It's amazing to think about how da Vinci meticulously revised and refined his work to achieve the masterpiece we now admire.
This discovery not only deepens our appreciation for Leonardo's genius but also adds another layer of mystery to the Mona Lisa. Each hidden version offers a glimpse into the artist's mind, his experiments with composition, and his relentless pursuit of achieving perfection. It's like peeling back the layers of history, revealing the story behind the creation of one of the world's most famous paintings.
So next time you gaze at the Mona Lisa, remember that there's more to her than meets the eye. Her mysterious smile hides not just one but three different faces, each a testament to Leonardo da Vinci's unparalleled artistry and dedication. If you're as fascinated by this as I am, you can read more about these hidden layers here. - The hidden Mona Lisa
Posted: Wednesday 24 March 2010