Art

Stock Photos of the Generic Art World

I don't remember which social media link triggered my descent into the rabbit hole of art-related stock imagery on 123RF, but after a little a while I realized that I had taken the blue pill.

Hrag Vartanian

January 16, 2014 — 2 min read

I don’t remember which social media link triggered my descent into the rabbit hole of art-related stock imagery on 123RF, but after a little a while I realized that I had taken the blue pill. (I’m mixing my Alice in Wonderland imagery with The Matrix, but forgive me.)

Yes, this world is mostly white and very thin. Men look unusually well put-together, while women are sexy, wear lipstick in the studio, and sometimes give the viewer come-hither looks.

The art world, if these stock images are to be believed, acts out its rituals in white heavenly rooms where art is blurred and sometimes the subject of laughter. Reality? Fiction? It’s art … world. The text at the top is the verbatim description supplied by 123RF.