Michael Craig-Martin, a master of modern art, has finally published his representative work, On Being an Artist, in Korean.
This publication will be an important opportunity to vividly convey the meaning and concerns of 'living as an artist' through the eyes of a contemporary artist.

The book honestly and humorously explores ▲the artist's identity and attitude ▲the creative process and difficulties ▲education and mentorship ▲survival strategies within the art market and system.
Through this, readers can experience that the life of an artist is not simply about creating works, but is a dialogue with the entire attitude and network of relationships and the times.

The publication of this Korean edition will not only serve as a catalyst for introducing contemporary art discourse to Korea, but will also serve as a valuable guide for creators, art students, cultural planners, and others contemplating artistic life.

Even when I was accepted to Yale, I didn't realize that the school I was attending was one of the most important art schools in the United States.
Moreover, when I entered, it was the golden age of Yale University's School of Art.

There I realized that all my artistic views and values ​​were wrong.
There was a marked difference between the clichéd art I'd encountered in high school and evening drawing classes and the elevated art that Yale University art students envisioned. Their approach to art, their values, and their creative methods were all different.

I realized that creating art requires much more than simply 'good intentions'.
Art is made up of a keen sense, a pursuit of immaterial values, an exploration of the artist's self, and remarkable talent.
--- p.43, from “Yale University Art Students”

Describing something in detail is like expressing a drawing in words.
When we first encounter a work of art, especially if it is unfamiliar and we don't know how to approach it, we start to describe it to ourselves.
Description is the simplest 'way of seeing'.
By describing my work, I try to answer simple but important questions.

Ask questions like: what is there, what does it look like, how big is it, what is it made of, what does it not do, what other works of art are similar to it, etc.
All works of art are like this.
That is, it is the answer to the question, 'What is this?'
--- p.63, from "Josef Albers"

The artists I most admire are those who have developed a unique and consistent aesthetic, sensibility, approach, attitude, and way of looking at the world.
This is more fundamental than simply an identifiable visual style, and is evident not only in the artist's work but also in his writing, curating, collecting, and other activities beyond art.
Artists, thinking and working in their own unique way, seek to embrace as much of the human experience as possible and attempt to reconstruct the entire world from their own perspective.
--- p.
65, from "The Immortal Artist"

When I was a student, Philip Guston visited Yale.
He conducted large group critiques attended by most teachers and students.
He was calm and generous with our work.
The teachers, most of whom were second-generation abstract expressionist artists, encouraged their students to work in the same style.
At the time, some saw the emerging pop art as undermining not only the fundamental principles of expressionism but also the fundamental principles of art itself.
An enthusiastic student asked Guston the following question:

“How can we save sublime art from pop art?”

Gustung replied as follows:

“Beware of those who see ‘true’ art as threatened and plan to save it.
And don't worry, art saves itself.”
--- p.76, from “Philippe Guston”

Detachment; irony; the use of everyday and commonplace objects and images; the use of secondary images, repeated units, mechanical processes; linguistic and conceptual concerns; an interest in the psychology of perception and the role of the viewer; a fascination with reductionism and the work of Duchamp; an acceptance of the meanings inherent in a variety of materials and production processes; an openness to the use of all materials; a blurring of the line between high and low culture; a blurred distinction between abstraction and representation; a rejection of class; a rejection of absolute values; a commitment to a radicalism born of a constant questioning of fundamental premises or assumptions; a primacy of simplicity, clarity, directness, and immediacy; an insistence on the physical over the metaphysical or metaphorical—these characteristics are present in the key art of the 1960s: Pop Art, Minimalism, and Conceptual art.
To borrow McLuhan's term, the 1950s marked the end of 'hot art' and the beginning of 'cool art.'
--- p.92, from “Minimalism”

One of the lesser-known facts about Conceptualism is that it brought the focus back to the forefront of contemporary art through philosophical inquiry, a shift from pure art, which had traditionally focused on form, materials, and process for decades.
Conceptualism expanded the realm of modern art by addressing entirely new topics, from the detailed observation of everyday life to bold philosophical and linguistic speculations, from socio-political issues to the emerging concerns of feminism and sexual politics.
In this new order, works can take any form the artist deems appropriate to their subject matter, and can be made of any material.
--- p.138, from “Conceptual Art”

Art is metaphor? It is poetry, not prose.
Art presents truth through devices.
The greatest crisis today is the reliance on principle everywhere.
Principleism fails to understand and appreciate poetry and its meaning.
Because fundamentalists do not understand art, they instinctively fear it and always reject it.
--- p.148, from “Art and Metaphor”

One of the most exciting things about art is its diversity.
People always make the mistake of trying to define 'what art is' and narrowing the definition to a limited scope.
The diversity of art is its charm.
Art is the sum total of all that goes by its name, a clear and easily identifiable category, yet an abstract concept that is very difficult to grasp.
A work of art is an attempt and product of the artist to construct a form of expression of his or her personal world and experiences and convey it to others.
Every work of art reveals its own important values.
Each work clearly states that these things are important above all else.
Different works appear different because they suggest different values.
Art continues to change as long as people perceive different values.
--- p.201, from “What is Art”

In the arts, talent is often confused with potential.
But in my experience, people who have talent but lack passion have limitations.
On the other hand, people who lack distinct talent compared to their passion have the potential to discover, develop, and invent something of their own.
This is what we often call 'creativity'.
People with passion are more likely to achieve greater success.
--- p.240, from “Passion over Talent”

Over the years, my work has been described by critics as:

It was described as:


Cold

It's mechanical

lacking emotions

Not personal

British look

waste of space

waste of money

A waste of beautiful galleries

Caulfield and Adami's blatant plagiarism

Not particularly interesting to look at or think about

boring

unpleasant

A dizzying cacophony of bright and intentional colors.

vulgar

decorative

A confusing mix of didactic and commercial

Spending too much money on something that doesn't happen

eyewash

Pretending to be attractive

intellectual

Too intelligent

fake intellectual

meaningless

featureless

threadbare

half empty

free

dead

Still old

--- p.309-310, from “Some media criticism of my work”