Fanart (this goes for fanfiction, too.)
Sep. 22nd, 2006 12:05 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
soltianSo what is fanart, anyway?
Fanart immediately brings to mind cheesy jokes or overly-dramatic portraits of characters that are not the artist's own creation, but rather characters they love after having seen them through someone else's work.
There have been many, many, many mentions of the "lower" worth of fanart, how original art should be prized more, how creating new concepts, ideas, characters, and stories are of much more value than this cop-off echo of something already established.
I don't agree with this idea, and I'm going to explain exactly why. When an artist creates an original object or story, one that has worth and reaches out to people enough to invoke the desire to CREATE fanart, that is the point when the fanart should be created and it would be a damn shame for it not to be. Reason? From the stupidest gag to the most involved form of thought given to any given character or scenario, fanart is a response from the readers on a story, a commentary, a communication. Almost always, an author or artist of a story is not able to tell you everything, and you can always feel for the gaps in what you've discovered about these characters you've come to love. Whether it's through repetition of what you already know, trivialization of a more complicated situation, wishful thinking, a demonstration of complex analysis, or a combination of any or all, fanart allows you to see a story through many sets of eyes instead of just one. It allows you to branch out your understanding of it through affirmation or denial of the fanart's validity, allows you to enjoy the ideas and concepts and characters that much more. A story that invites commentary but gets none would be a sad, empty thing.
Fanart is the physical manifestation of Fandom, which is the very purpose of Stories to begin with. Yes, the purpose of telling stories is the people who read them. People do not tell stories so that there will be no reaction. People do not tell stories to stand stiff and alone, invoking no change and no sort of impression. People tell stories to reach out to people, and stories that create a response like fanart are coming round full circle in their development.
In essence, a good story is only half of this circle, and the communicative response of the readers or viewers is the other half. This marks fanart in equal importance to original art, not downplaying the validity and value of either, as I adore, condone, and create both myself. I'm working very hard on my own story at this time, and I hope to be able to communicate it well enough that it can touch people and have an impact, like the stories I have read that have inspired me. But after my work is done and the story's over and there's nothing left for me to tell, I would still consider that only half finished.
Your response: Y/N...?
Fanart immediately brings to mind cheesy jokes or overly-dramatic portraits of characters that are not the artist's own creation, but rather characters they love after having seen them through someone else's work.
There have been many, many, many mentions of the "lower" worth of fanart, how original art should be prized more, how creating new concepts, ideas, characters, and stories are of much more value than this cop-off echo of something already established.
I don't agree with this idea, and I'm going to explain exactly why. When an artist creates an original object or story, one that has worth and reaches out to people enough to invoke the desire to CREATE fanart, that is the point when the fanart should be created and it would be a damn shame for it not to be. Reason? From the stupidest gag to the most involved form of thought given to any given character or scenario, fanart is a response from the readers on a story, a commentary, a communication. Almost always, an author or artist of a story is not able to tell you everything, and you can always feel for the gaps in what you've discovered about these characters you've come to love. Whether it's through repetition of what you already know, trivialization of a more complicated situation, wishful thinking, a demonstration of complex analysis, or a combination of any or all, fanart allows you to see a story through many sets of eyes instead of just one. It allows you to branch out your understanding of it through affirmation or denial of the fanart's validity, allows you to enjoy the ideas and concepts and characters that much more. A story that invites commentary but gets none would be a sad, empty thing.
Fanart is the physical manifestation of Fandom, which is the very purpose of Stories to begin with. Yes, the purpose of telling stories is the people who read them. People do not tell stories so that there will be no reaction. People do not tell stories to stand stiff and alone, invoking no change and no sort of impression. People tell stories to reach out to people, and stories that create a response like fanart are coming round full circle in their development.
In essence, a good story is only half of this circle, and the communicative response of the readers or viewers is the other half. This marks fanart in equal importance to original art, not downplaying the validity and value of either, as I adore, condone, and create both myself. I'm working very hard on my own story at this time, and I hope to be able to communicate it well enough that it can touch people and have an impact, like the stories I have read that have inspired me. But after my work is done and the story's over and there's nothing left for me to tell, I would still consider that only half finished.
Your response: Y/N...?
no subject
Date: 2006-09-22 05:26 pm (UTC)Glad you put on words what many of us feel everyday when confronted with sayings like "You should stop drawing that; it's not worth it in artistic measures." Excuse me?? As if giving a bit of yourself to your drawing was the same as drawing (copy, from some original picture) bugs bunny and stick it on the frige.
It pains me when people don't understand that fanart is a form of art as enjoyable and as equall as any other.
Afterall we're taking known characters just to portray them in some way; isn't that a bit like paiting a biblical scene? I think so. This may be a somewhat orz topic since it's religion but, in my eyes, churches are full of fanart, for pete's sake.
This may result as a wild idea, but... fanart museums in the future? Wouldn't that be fun? It's not impossible at all you know.
(btw I'm very honored you linked to my bambi picture here :) )
no subject
Date: 2006-09-22 05:44 pm (UTC)I think fanart museums would be a GREAT idea, honestly. There's definitely all levels of depth and diversity in fanart, and looking at what people do with it is REALLY interesting!
(I knew I had to link some of your work, since you're the perfect example of using humor to accellerate insight XD It was tough deciding which one to pick, though!)
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Date: 2006-09-22 05:36 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-09-22 05:45 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-09-22 08:38 pm (UTC)and now to elaborate... I think everyone enjoys fanart to a certain extent. Even if it's not anime (which kind of warrants its own argument entirely), books for example... not everyone pictures the same exact person given a description, so why not make art of it? All the same, not everyone perceives a character in the same light so... why not make art of it?
I think what puts people off (and this pertains to anime especially...) is bad art/badfic and while it IS hard to find something that pleases everybody.. one shouldn't cast fanart aside as all being total crap.
Finally, fanart is sometimes just more fun and easy to appreciate. No background needed (aside from what you already know), nothing to really THINK about (unless that's what you want), I can just sit there, practically brain-dead and mutter "prettyyyyy" or something to that extent...
yeah..
no subject
Date: 2006-09-23 03:58 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-09-22 07:57 pm (UTC)However, I disagree about the necessity of a reader response. You could have a fantastic story written entirely for the catharthis of the author
You could have a poorly written story/poorly drawn picture that simply needed to be told for the author to fufill their wishes/dreams/purpose
There are much more singular aspects of writing/drawing than I think is assumed.
Just a thought ;-)
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Date: 2006-09-23 03:57 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-09-23 05:02 pm (UTC)The explanation, as I understand it, is that sometimes thoughts crowd your head and drive you a little crazy. The best way to get them out is to talk them out.
However, instead of talking, becuase some things are awkward/unaccpetable, you write about them, and them put them somewhere public. Livejournal, MySpace, ETC.
The key isn't that someone reads it. It's that its out of the authors head, and into a public forum.
make sense?
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