Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and so is the beauty and value of art. In the olden days, before the communications revolution, it was a few assorted experts, art critics and art galleries that decided what was art and how desirable it was. Anyone who did not have access to those experts and galleries had essentially no chance to have their art seen and discussed by an audience outside of friends and family. As a result, many great artists were never discovered and their art languished in their studios, seen by no one. This is really an unacceptable situation. Art should be accessible to anyone, and people should be able to discuss it, comment on it, and even submit their own art in places where artists and art enthusiasts gather. Fortunately, the increasing availability of the Internet is changing the ways in which artists can present their work and invite feedback and discussion. The "Web 2.0" concept is all about using web technology to bring people together and create communities and social networking. This means that individuals are no longer relegated to being simple consumers of whatever information is out there, but that they can generate information and content, including art, themselves. When you look at trends in entertainment, you see that traditional monolithic information providers such as commercial TV and newspapers are in the ropes while user communities and user-generated content flourishes. I myself rarely watch commercial network TV anymore. There is so much interesting stuff on the web that commercial-interrupted TV has completely lost its appeal. The information revolution is also a massive boon to contemporary artists. Instead of waiting to be "discovered" by traditional galleries and art collectors, contemporary painters can simply display their work in one of the many online art galleries and communities. This does not guarantee fame and fortune, but it provides what many artists desire most: getting feedback from peers and enthusiasts and to be able to make their art potentially available to millions, no matter where on the planet they may live. There are any number of ways in which artists can take advantage of the web. They can use one of the major social networks, they can join special art communities and forums, or they can even create their own interactive online art galleries to display anything from landscape painting to portraits, sketches, abstract art or anything else they may specialize in. Visitors can browse the site and buy art directly from the artist. They can also interact with the artists via chat, discussion boards or other means of communications. Online gallery artists may also do video interviews or presentations, polls, classes or lead discussion groups. Site visitors may commission art from artists whose work and style they like. The opportunities are endless. The bottom line is that artists now have entirely new ways to exhibit their work and communicate with art connoisseurs and potential buyers. There are no geographic limits, no artificial barriers, no waiting for galleries, and no reliance on connections with important people. The Internet and web are providing opportunity and access to everyone.
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