I have to admit that the idea of crpytoart doesn’t make much sense to me. “10 things to know about CryptoPunks, the original NFTs” discusses how these fairly basic avatars are being sold, sometimes for millions of dollars. I have to wonder why anyone would pay for one of these images when they could simply screenshot it, even though they wouldn’t technically own the rights to it. Paying millions of dollars for art by Van Gogh or Davinci makes more sense- these are works that the average person can’t recreate. However, I’m fairly certain that anyone can open up Microsoft Paint and recreate these specific cryptopunks fairly easily, making it all the more mind boggling to me that someone would spend a fortune on procuring them. And while I'm not advocating for stealing artwork, I don’t understand why such a simple piece is so highly valued.
One of the things discussed in the Zoom AMA: NFTs with Lauren Click and Chris Nunes was the eventual inclusion of NFTs in art galleries. Nunes mentioned that Christie’s art gallery would soon be having an exhibit and auction for NFTs, which they were predicting to make tens of thousands of dollars from. I think the idea of having virtual art exhibits in person is pretty cool. One of the artists I discussed in my midterm, Carla Gannis, hosts an exhibit filled with digital art and video art. Nunes even mentioned that some artists are taking pictures of their physical artwork like sculptures and selling the pictures as NFTs. I like this crossover between online and real life, but the concept of buying images in person to look at on your computer is pretty bizarre to me.
I think the internet has done wonders for making artwork more accessible. Anyone can search a famous artwork and have a million results come up in google images, as well as interpretations of that art, descriptions of it, lessons on how to use the artist techniques. NFT’s privatize access to art and therefore access to knowledge. I think a lot of people value art based on how exclusive it is, while in my opinion, art’s true value lies in its ability to be accessible and meaningful to everyone. Art isn’t meant to be locked up in vault, its meant to be shared and enjoyed and bring beauty to the lives of those who view it.