“It’s perfect! “
…said almost no one about anything because, come on- NOTHING is perfect, though not for lack of trying.
From elementary school and beyond we are urged enthusiastically to “exceed expectations” (a common report card credential) and differentiate from the crowd. To surpass, transcend and excel; to be better than anyone else such that any one of us might be the one special person in the room who is singularly exceptional, who has made no mistakes, who shows no cracks; the one who is spectacularly and unbelievably, perfect.
The perfect person wins, and what they win is the most basic competition of nature; they are the victor in the competition of adaptability, prosperity and strength. Thousands of years ago, humans competed for food and territory; now the fight focuses on social success and status as determined by careers and physical appearance.
An article in the New York Times (April 18, 2015) cited young adult workers in corporate America competing for workplace (and social status) security through use and abuse of ADHD drugs intended not to treat Attention Deficit Disorders, but to increase workplace productivity. One user, speaking on condition of anonymity said, “It is necessary — necessary for survival of the best and the smartest and highest-achieving people..”. The article notes further that, “…many young workers insist that using the drugs to increase productivity is on the rise — and that these are drugs used not to get high, but hired.”
“The expectation for exactitude is no less in the realm of physical appearance where erasure of imperfection (-wrinkle, blemish, time) are the ultimate goal.” Dr. Frederic Brandt Cosmetic Dermatologist.
So where does this leave the profession of art?
If art is a mirror of society, is now the time for a re-surrgence of hyperrealism in all things art? Where the labours, skills and directive toward perfection are exhibited unmistakably in the final product? Does the exacting, precise nature of hyperrealism make it the ultimate art for our perfection obsessed world because it is a reflection of the excellence we strive to achieve; where each hyper-realistic piece of art is an advertisement for the beauty of human productivity, the creation of (something) without error, wrinkle or blemish; the creation of, perfection.
What do you think?
