On the one hand, its Fukuyaman regard for the past is ignorant to contemporary artists pushing the boundaries of their respective mediums. Musicians like SOPHIE and Clipping expand the frontiers of pop and hip hop. Painters like Liu Xiaodong and Njideka Akunyili Crosby comment on contemporary issues in unique styles, and filmmakers like Gaspar Noé and Lars von Trier challenge their audiences with innovative visuals and storytelling.
On the other hand, you have those who champion the adage “don’t be original just be personal”. It’s a take underpinned by the assumption that art must be personal to have value, dismissing the legacy of impersonal artwork - from the poetry of T.S. Eliot to the concept album in music. That isn’t to say that art shouldn’t be personal, or that it must be original. But if we are forced to look at art 'objectively', there is a different element which can make or break a piece - authenticity.
An authentic engagement with your work and inspiration will always be better received
Whether you are exploring personal events or broader socio-political themes, painting a self-portrait or conveying some crazy abstraction, an authentic engagement with your work and inspiration will always be better received. It’s why we reject AI artwork - it imitates without engagement, reflection or purpose, inherently lacking the authenticity we are capable of as humans. It’s why we accept David Bowie’s many reinventions and experiments, but reject Drake and his place in hip hop. Bowie challenged concepts of normalcy and identity without compromise, delivering consistently authentic projects through the honest relationship between himself, his art, and his audience.
By contrast, Kendrick and other rappers have an easy time branding Drake as a "culture vulture” for his appropriation of different trends and styles, failing to embody or engage with the cultures he imitates. It’s also why the singer-songwriter will never die - from Joni Mitchell and Jeff Buckley to Elliott Smith and Adrianne Lenker, there will always be artists who, however simple and repeated their sound, resonate precisely because of their authentic writing. Irony can be authentic too, through reflection or cultural engagement - our generation is built on it after all.
There’s no one way of being authentic
There’s no one way of being authentic. It is an issue of intent which can transform our view and value of art in all its forms.