The mystery of ' art '.

Is there genuine art or is the whole thing a massive con trick? Art comes in various forms. We have no doubts about literature, music, theatre or cinema because they are widely reproduced and can be enjoyed by anyone in any corner of the world. A good story retains its interest however it is read, in hardcover, in paperback or electronically. Movies maybe more enjoyable on a big screen in a hall but a DVD played on a high definition television set is almost equally good. Music maybe more enjoyable live but a CD can be carried anywhere and gives the same quality every time it is played. Mousetrap, a play on a story by Agatha Christie, has been playing continuously for 63 years. The 25,000th show was on 8 November, 2012. During this time more than 400 actors have been used and directors have changed but the attraction still continues. However, when it comes to paintings and sculpture we are dependent on experts to tell us how good it is. You have to see the so called ' works of art ' that win the Turner Prize every year to see that much of it is rubbish. An unmade bed is dirty, a dead shark preserved in formaldehyde is a creation of nature and no credit to the artist and a bunch of soup cans, even if hand painted, is just plagiarism. Yet each of them is valued in millions of dollars. Because ' experts ' call them ' art '. The dubious nature of art has been vividly demonstrated by claims by researchers in Cambridge that 2 bronze statues, which have been lying in obscurity so far, were actually created by Michelangelo. They were sold for 1.82 million pounds at Sotheby's in 2002 but if accepted to be made by the master their value will be multiplied many times. Why? If they are that exquisite their value should be based on aesthetic appeal and not on a brand. It is like any fashion item. A handbag sold by a renowned fashion house may cost Rs 1 million but an identical bag made by a local company sells for Rs 500, even if you cannot tell the difference. The price of a piece of art maybe because it is unique. There is only one David by Michelangelo and one Guernica by Pablo Picasso but there are more than one painting claiming to be Mona Lisa. And then there are forgeries. Some of them are so good that they fool the so called experts. An American forger named Ken Perenyi has even written a book detailing how he fooled experts for decades. Surely, if the fakes were so good then they are the same as the originals and, since most of the old masters have no copyright protection, then the fakes maybe taken as original. Apparently even the great Michelangelo was guilty of forgery. So the whole ' art ' business is based on price which is based on what ' experts ' tell us. But since these ' experts ' cannot paint or sculpture how do they know? Pretty shady indeed.