A brief history of artwork and advertising
Art is being used as a form of expression since ancient times. The artwork has come out to be one of the most important forms of communication that have exhibited civilizations for the past many centuries. Some of the artwork has demonstrated how well a community, its people, and culture prevailed in the world in the past.
Side by side, advertising has also existed for a long time. The world did not have access to technology in ancient times but advertising persisted in the world in simpler forms. If you scroll through the pages of history books, you will find material on how ancient Rome and Egypt both marveled in expressing their power and culture through advertising. Such advertising also portrayed a sales message. Not surprisingly, advertising was also used for unleashing political campaign slogans.
How a relationship formed between art and advertising
As the world drifted into medieval times, we saw how institutions like the state and church made use of artwork to promote their grandeur. Artists were also commissioned into portraying their power and pomp. With time, the desire for advertising through artwork led to the formation of a symbiotic relationship between these two fields. What followed was the formation of a special bond between those who had the resources to allocate for artwork and those who had the creative talent to construct work that made strides in society.
In short, over the course of history, Art and Advertising formed a close relationship. This relationship has transformed into an intricate one in recent times with both the mediums being utilized by corporations and individuals simultaneously for highlighting and achieving their interests. The relationship was made stronger by the need to have a public image for organizations, parties, and other entities. In this quest to enhance prestige and image, those with creative talent joined hands and collaborated with those having the budget to pay for such work. The net result was brilliant pieces of work that left people marveling.
The underlying function and motivation behind these two industries
Since we now know that both art and advertising work in tandem with each other, it becomes imperative to understand the function these two fields perform along with the driving motivating force. This will allow us a deeper understanding of how each complements the other and why their role has been applied by societies and organizations.
Since art is how human beings apply creativity and imagination to come up with a visual form such as a painting, the main driving force is the need to create works that will be appreciated for the emotional power they exhibit. An added purpose is to produce beauty that would be admired. On the other hand, advertising involves applying a skill in which advertisings are produced to sell products or services.
Though we see that both these fields involve applying a skill, yet there is a differentiating factor between the two. Art is more like a natural process where creativity is utilized to express pure designs, while advertising is a creative measure created with the preemptive calculation which right from the onset has a clear goal to achieve.
Some modern theorists argue that the above reasons given for differentiating the two fields may overlap or pose complications, yet many scholars think that art has been more of a natural process while advertising focuses a lot more on what results are to be achieved.
What purpose do art and advertising serve combined together?
Over the past many centuries, both these industries have worked together productively. Art is more like a natural process that helps serve as an inspiration to advertising and often facilitating the achievement of the objectives behind advertising. On the other hand, advertising serves to provide a focused approach and direction to art. All in all, both these industries combine to offer a renewed creativity to the world that has widespread implications.
A Modern example of advertising embellished with artwork
Dan Alva
A contemporary artist Dan Alva, takes you through a journey of the classics presented with a modern touch to cater to a modern-day audience. Adopting a contemporary direction, Alva’s work is the perfect combination of artwork combined with advertising. With amazing art pieces that are both intricate and meticulous, the audience gets acquainted with the brains of a creative professional in modern-day advertising. Based in Miami, Alva has successfully inspired a completely new generation of art lovers and advertising professionals through his mixed pieces of work covering paintings and mixed media.
Last word
The relationship between art and advertising has therefore existed since early times and both have formed a robust alliance throughout history at a greater level than anticipated. Though both the fields may appear to have different motivations fuelled by the need to achieve different goals, yet contemporary art exhibits similarities between the two as far as a desire for impulsive ideation and exploration are concerned.
The interaction between these two fields has paved the way for innovative methods to surface that allows for greater collaboration between the artist and advertisers. This aspect of contemporary art is very well depicted in the works of Dan Alva that are a reminder of how art and advertising have evolved. In a nutshell, both art and advertising combined, reveal how a common link is found between both these fields in the form of human experience.
