I'll make no secret about it; I hate reality television. I don't even watch American Idol anymore, because I find it very... I don't know, false. And that's exactly what Work of Art is. Like other talent-based reality shows, it promises "the next great;" in this case, "the next great artist." And of course, there's no use in believing that -- the next Andy Warhol won't emerge from a Bravo television series.
But aside from the subtitle, Work of Art doesn't really promise to deliver anything. The payoff for the winner is one gallery show and $100,000 for art supplies -- nothing that will force the winner to stardom. It's not an easy ticket or anything like that; it'll get the artists' name out into the art world, but beyond that, nothing. They'll have to continue their hard work eventually.
No, the fun isn't in watching anxiously to see who will be propelled into the national spotlight. No, the fun is about watching a group of strange people create works of art -- some of which are successful, others which fall flat. And unlike shows like American Idol, it's much more viewer-friendly. With Idol, you really get something that has universally apparent quality: singers are either good or bad. But with Work of Art, you're left to determine for yourself. Sure, the judges in the crit panel give their opinions, but the best part of the show is giving your own opinion. Sometimes it works out with your opinion, sometimes it doesn't.
But perhaps the best aspect of the show is that the results aren't popularity-based, not really. The judging panel looks at the artwork on its own merits -- it's not like it's the American people voting at home for the cutest contestants. Sometimes the personality has a factor in creating the art (especially in group projects), but the show is much less shallow than others of its kind. That's the way I see it, anyhow.
The show has been running for eight weeks, since early June, and only five of the original fourteen artists remain: Abdi, Jaclyn, Nicole, Miles, and Peregrine. Abdi is a painter who has been described as "peppy" and "earnest," who creates comic-book style paintings that usually look awesome. Jaclyn is a photographer/painter who has appeared in blurred nudity on the show many times; in the most recent episode, she painted herself masturbating. Nicole creates more interactive and engrossing work, and shares a sort of mutual flirtation with fellow contestant Miles. Miles is a distant, obsessive-compulsive architectural guru who has been criticized by several of his contestants as being backstabbing and manipulative. Finally, Peregrine is a kooky hippy-esque artist who can craft works of extreme poignance -- but also works of almost laughable triteness.
There is one more challenge remaining for these contestants before the finale, which means that it'll be a four-way competition. The way that plays out will certainly be interesting; I'm not sure I can predict. But before I can say who deserves to go to the finale, I first have to say who I think needs to go home.
Abdi is the obvious choice; the twenty-two-year-old art teacher has appeared to be in way over his head since last week, and has been in the bottom two for the past two weeks. However, in addition to his great amount of positivity, I can say that I don't think he deserves to go home -- sure, he might not be able to really portray deep concepts very well, but his style and execution is very well done. Also, he painted himself on a spaceship alongside a lightsaber-weilding Barack Obama. This guy is awesome.
No, I think it's Nicole that should go home before the finale. Sure, it'll be sad to see her are-they-aren't-they flirtation with Miles disappear, but she's ultimately been boring. Aside from her most recent pieces of art, I can't remember a thing that she's done -- and that's saying something, considering I even remember pieces from early-cast-off's like Judith and Nao. Nicole's art is solid, but it's nothing memorable. It has no impact on me.
So now that we've gotten rid of Nicole in this fantasy play-out, we're left with Abdi, Jaclyn, Miles, and Peregrine. At this point, it's anybody's game. They're all really solid artists who have proven themselves to be memorable in so many ways. They've all also shown really clear weaknesses that might stand to backfire on them. Because of that, I can't say who I think will take second, third, and fourth places, but I can say who I believe will take the top prize: Miles.
Miles has been the front-runner since the competition started. He won the first two challenges with his unique eye, and his ability to create thought-provoking simplicity has long been his forte. Even in the most recent episode, he created two walls: one black, and one white, and then punched the white one to depict male aggression. It wasn't literal, but it was lauded by the judges for being very thought-provoking. Miles draws you in through his brilliant simplicity. Despite his perceived manipulation or personality flaws, Miles has the talent to win the competition, and in the end, I think that's what he's going to do.
What do you think? Who should take home the $100,000 on Work of Art?
