Fine art, pop art, and outsider art all have distinct differences. Fine art is often targeted towards the rich to view or purchase. It is also heavily reliant on aesthetics and details. It is either made to look visually nice or made with a deeper meaning behind it. Typically it is on display in exhibits or museums. Many viewers and other artists enjoy analyzing fine art pieces to figure out what the artist's intention was. Stereotypically speaking, it is something that the wealthy appreciate because of how intricate it is. Oftentimes, fine art consists of portraits. Pop art on the contrary is more casual and common for an everyday viewer. It includes ideas that are popular at the time the piece is created. For example, a lot of the time it depicts images that are typically seen in comic books or other popular media. The whole point of pop art is to draw attention to a larger and current audience. It isn’t as fancy as fine art because it's intended to be for any viewer that takes part in mass culture. Outsider art is a lot more abstract in nature and does not take any consideration of current media like how pop art does. The artists are usually self-taught and do not follow strict rules or ways of creating their pieces. It often looks unique and strange to the viewer. Outsider art pieces do usually end up in museums for people to view. However, not many tend to enjoy it due to its unconventional look and concepts. According to a Hyperallergic article titled “The Insiders Guide to Outsider Art”, outsider artists are called many strange things. The author of the article stated, “You also could pick from a long list of alternative titles, including folk artists, visionary artists, primitive artists, naïve artists, or just plain, old self-taught artists” (Rodney). In a way, it can be seen as a more controversial form of art that not everyone understands. Art in general has strong functions in all parts of culture. It is found everywhere and appreciated by everyone whether they realize it or not. For example, millions play video games which are a form of interactive art. Almost everyone has some sort of painting in their house or wears clothing that was designed by artists. Art truly is the backbone of many different things in our everyday culture. It also differs slightly between social classes such as how the wealthy enjoy fine art while an average person would enjoy pop art instead. Those who are allowed in art also depends on what form of art it is and where a piece can be viewed such as online or in a museum. No one is really kept out of art because of how many different kinds and forms there are. It would depend on an individual to get themselves immersed in it or not. However, one could argue the poor are kept out of fine art due to how strongly it is associated with the wealthy.
Work Cited
Rodney, Seph. “The Insider's Guide to Outsider Art.” Hyperallergic, 4 May 2018,
https://hyperallergic.com/440904/the-insiders-guide-to-outsider-art/.
