Salon.com gives Glen Helfland a chance to explain why the art world hates Bravo’s Work of Art reality show:

“Work of Art” attempts to offer an intimate view of the place where artistic creation happens, but it doesn’t quite pull that off, in part because it sticks faithfully to the reality TV structure. Like other shows in the genre, the producers make contestants jump through hoops, in accelerated time frames, to make stuff — a format that has very little to do with real-world creative activities. Artists are as likely to make a portrait in nine hours as a chef combining Cheetos and balsamic is likely to make a great meal. In episode 3, the contestants created book covers, a challenge that ignores the distinctions between fine and commercial art. It’s no wonder the results weren’t very good.Continue Reading