Concrete (Breton) Brut

It’s interesting how being an artist differs from one to the next. In the course of Hockney’s recent remarks upon question of authenticity of the artist, the creation by the hand of the artist etc etc, regarding particular conceptual based (Hirst for example) practitioners who use assistants, as though painters in the past didn’t, there is a thought that has come to my mind over many years of seeing post-grad shows and minor and major exhibitions of this work…..what do these artists do with their time. I’m constantly asking myself, did this student actually enjoy their degree course, what did they in fact learn….and we know that the answer lies not in acquiring craft skills….which is an okay by me answer….but having seen a recent mini exhibition for William Morris up in Leyton Library east London, a foretast of the re-opening of the Museum in Waltham Forest, an assistant and I discussed his working methods for production, and though he resented the fact his pieces largely sold to the wealthy……he wanted each worker to have a relationship with their work and avoid division of labour production values and the alienation from the work and disengagement it entails…keeping the prices high therefore, and contradiction to his aims, but that makes me wonder what de-crafted and de-skilled artists now do with all their spare time…..and does it make them happier?