Just as beauty is in the eye of the beholder, so is the value and beauty 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.

Just as beauty is in the eye of the beholder, so is the value and beauty 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.

Any artist who did not stand in good steed with these people had basically not a leg to stand on. There was hardly any chance to get your art seen, outside your circle of friends and relatives. Unfortunately this also meant that a large number of quite talented artists were never discovered.

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.

Thankfully, the ever growing accessibility of the internet is rapidly changing the ways in which artists can display their art and, at the same time, receive comments and critique about it. The quickly developing "Web 2.0" technology is helping people to come together and grow into online communities and social networks.

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 boom 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.

Unfortunately this, of course, does not guarantee immediate fame and fortune, but clearly it provides what the vast majority of artists desires most: feedback from fellow artists and art lovers alike. Plus the opportunity to display their art to perhaps many millions of potential art enthusiasts.

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.

No more middlemen as visitors are able to purchase art direct from the artist!... All communication lines are wide open as visitors are able to talk to the artist directly via chat, forums and discussion boards. The amount of information available from the artist is great as they are able to exchange their thoughts with their peers and art enthusiasts via video interviews, polls and even online workshops. And how much easier is it then to commission a piece of art directly from the artist online? The sky is the limit.

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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