Bad Art

Bad art is not hard to find. I think a lot has to be considered when judging art, but I also think that I am of fair mind to make such a judgment. I'm not sure everyone is capable of making good art, but I think we can all agree that anime-style is a pretty common crutch for those who mean to fake artistic ability. One could claim that I simply do not understand the subtleties of eastern cartooning, but that is far from the case. I have seen the other side, and have a cursory acquaintance with the artistic styles of numerous cultures, so it is not a mere ignorant narrow-mindedness that fuels my opposition to the broad practice of the style.
Manga has come to be a serial art form with proliferation that rivals street art. I think a major difference between the two is the relative absence of pretense in street art; art detatched from the artist, and thus, largely free from the ad hominem influence that you get from manga that you might stumble upon on the internet or in real life. I may be desensitized to manga, but when I see pictures like the ones above and below in the volume that I do, it becomes irritating, like a student in my art class who would insist upon showing me each of his thousands of throwaway sketches.


Beyond its apparent omnipresence, I have some gripes with the literal attributes of the art form. The faces bother me. Those smooth, big-eyed small-nosed faces are an absolute abortion of the basic rules of dimension that most semi-realistic styles follow. I am generalizing about anime artists and their individual styles, but so common are these bizarre, crudely expressive mugs that I cannot help but decry their absurdity. To make a concession, anime artists seem to have a grasp on fabrics and body proportion (with the exception of those that draw chibi.) If this post seemed too negative, I apologize, but I wouldn't want to give the impression that I am an indiscriminate lover of art. It's all about perspective.

-Daniel