The Cult of Personality

Pretty Lady is thrilled to say that a very Discerning Person has requested and received a JPEG of her latest work, complete with enough pixels to choke a goat, and has expressed sufficient satisfaction with this virtual creation to make a completely voluntary contribution to Pretty Lady's Rent Fund. Lest Pretty Lady be accused of 'making out like a bandit,' let it be known that the ideas, influences, connections, and Power Relationships involved in this transaction were all Pretty Lady's own; she is not, to her knowledge, ripping off any other artist, in whatever position in the Art World hierarchy, depending upon a Sleazy Dealer, or harming any children in her pursuit of Artistic Recognition and concomitant Financial Security.

Once upon a time, for a brief period, Pretty Lady had the honor of working with a Decent Dealer. This gentleman shared with her the secret of his Decent Dealing philosophy: "People don't buy Art," he said. "They buy a relationship with the artist. They want to know that the artist is a good person."

(Now, bear in mind that this was not, regrettably, a New York dealer voicing this heretical opinion. In New York, art collectors mainly wish to know that the artist is a Hip, Eccentric person; but the underlying philosophy holds true.)

Discerning Persons do not invest in mere Ideas and Images. They are making a down payment on Vicarious Life. So Pretty Lady is fully aware that her most recent patron, enthralled as he might be with the actual image, is also buying into the Pretty Lady Legend, and she's fine with that.

Now, what with our biological programming, and our innate human tendency toward rationalized superstition, it is not surprising that the vast majority of high-selling artists are, to put it bluntly, pale-complexioned Alpha Males. It is the way of the world. The pale-skinned Alpha is the one who keeps us safe from the barbarian hordes; of course we will drop a million or two on his cast-aluminum blow-up doll. If it keeps the Alpha happy, this is the least we can do.

But Pretty Lady notes, along with Henry Ward Beecher, that the world is changing; civilization is evolving from the Brute to the Rational; Higher Vibrations shall, eventually, prevail. All Art Investors would be wise to take note of this fact, and get in on the ground floor. Pretty Ladies with wacked-out spiritual ideals will have their day. Buy Now, for Immortality!