Book: On Being an Artist by Micheal Craig-Martin

On Being an Artist is a series of comments on the art world. It is interspersed with personal, anecdotal snippets which give an insight into some of the significant experiences in Michael Craig-Martin’s life as an artist. If approached chronologically, the reader will build a sense of the journey that Craig-Martin travelled when becoming an artist and what he has learnt since. In this sense, some of the chapters feel very autobiographical. Due to the fact that each chapter is between half a page and four pages in length it is very easy to dip in and out of. This means if you so wish you would be able to select only the chapters which talk about art in an objective way – the kind of thing you might read in an art history book for example – which would give you a different, far less personal sense of this book entirely. For me, the most interesting chapters are the ones that combine anecdotal experience with conclusive observations. For example, Craig-Martin discusses ideas of freedom and discipline in art school, he first tells of his own desires and expectations, and then goes on to state that in art schools “the aura of ‘discipline’ that permeates most educational institutions is wonderfully marginalized… …It is obviously incompatible with creative activity.” I would say that for an art student, or anyone interested in the art world, his writings are relevant, informative, entertaining.

Craig-Martin, M. (2015). Michael Craig-Martin. New York: Art / Books.