Interviewed by Pablo Mañe, exclusively for Stylusart. 

On February 2003 we were interviewing Raquel Medina in her capacity as director of Fundación Cuixart. We would now like to get to know her better as art critic and historian.

What is the function of art criticism in current times?
I would make a distinction between various ways of understanding it. Some opt for "compromised" criticism. With this, one actively and expressly promotes specific artists who are favourites of the critic in question. It has a repercussion in the market which would take us to analyse another not insignificant part of the problem.
Then there is the critic who writes for an élite of "those in the know" in cryptic language and who talks not so much about the work itself as his own philosophical lucubration. Another approach is that of the critic who looks to build bridges between the public and art. Making a comparison from the world of cinema, I would say that he fulfils a function analogous to that of a listing of film reviews that allows us to decide which one to see. I think that, without excluding other means, there is an increasing need for a kind of art criticism which orientates the public and encourages it to draw near to art in all its current forms.

What do you think about what we see in art competitions?
For me, they lack the stamp of individuality: we find a surprising homogeneity. The works could be by any of an extensive list of artists who work in the same trend. I believe that the creator should seek his own message, not limit himself to reproducing current models.

What is your assessment of knowledge of art in general?
In order to enjoy art, one needs, apart from sensitivity, to have and to foster the habit. Unfortunately, we are faced with a state of affairs in which history of art has disappeared from the national curriculum. What is more, in general, there is a great lack of knowledge about art on the part of teachers. Television, for its part, which could do so much to help, scarcely deals with the subject or does so in a tedious format and during an unworkable schedule. We should not be surprised that there are so few enthusiasts and collectors of art although when it receives the attention it deserves, the public responds with an uncustomary interest: just look at how the ARCO festival has become such a huge success.

Do you think that it is an anachronism to talk of "the painting"?
Without question, we are seeing the strength of other artistic techniques in the field of new technologies, but I consider that we are moving towards a future of co-existence. Artists like Barceló are showing that it is a form of expression in full vogue.

What importance do you attach to technical skill in art?
It is a factor which has varied significantly during the years. Before, painting was a profession with a strong component of craftsmanship. Later, came the view that the artist was a person who made pieces fit for museums and therefore made to last. Nowadays, it is thought that art should be more an attitude or idea than an object, paradoxically in neither case is the opportunity missed to give it a commercial outlet. That is made possible because the buyers are not individuals but institutions which promote art of an official line and, more dangerous still, in many cases, dogmatic and over-exclusive. Without doubt, there are magnificent exponents of those tendencies; others are merely flashes in the pan of a rather banal kind which try to overstep some limit or other.

The interview with Raquel Medina remembers 

© stylusart 2003