What genres/styles of art are in their peak right now?

Cafe Society
1

It’s commonly thought that one only recognizes how great something is when it’s gone. And certainly this is often thought of art: people don’t really get how great a certain period or type of art was until it was over or past its prime.

When styles of art are in their heyday, they are also often derided as trivial, immature, or commercial. Dickens, for example, was considered in his time to be mostly a best-seller.

Let’s see if we can do better, for a moment. Are there any artistic styles or genres that you think are currently, and I mean right now, in their best times?

Could this, for example, be the golden age of webcomics? That might sound ironic or ridiculous now, but in fifty years maybe it will sound perfectly serious.

2

I think we are currently in a golden age for serial TV programs such as LOST or Battlestar Galactica because possibly soon the business model that supported this might be falling apart.

Supposedly Mad Men costs $30 million to create a 12 episode season, in a decade or two that might be seen as unbelieveable.

3

Gotta go with your first sentence. Without a few reference points to work from, how can we tell if anything is at its peak?

4

I think of this as the “Telenovela-zation” of U.S. TV. Having shows with fixed endings - or fewer episodes a season, etc. - has transformed TV. As far as passive viewing goes*, it feels like we are seeing some great stuff.

*the real question is, with the rise of video games and more immersive media, social media, etc., will passive TV remain a major art form?
I was also going to say “electric and acoustic guitars and also amps” but those are not an “art form” per se - they are the tools of an art form. But while guitar-based music feels a bit stagnant - like the Rock Era passed when Kurt Cobain did - but the actual volume of guitar sales is still freakin’ huge. But more importantly, high-volume manufacturers are making the best cheap guitars and amps ever - $300 can get you a lot of guitar or a really versatile, usable amp these days. And the high-end guitars - amazing work done for Boomers and Gen-X’ers to invest in for a mid-life crisis…

5

I think we just passed the peak of animated movies. The output of Disney/Pixar/Aardman/Dreamworks over the last twenty years has been incredible, and constitutes a golden age, but I think we’re starting to see a slippage. I don’t know what’s causing it, but the misses-to-hits ratio, where the 3D! and the look-whose-voice-talents-we-got! is supposed to cover for transcendant story-telling and artwork, is going up.

6

Dupe sorry.