Long before we truly encounter the art world, we often already carry an image of it. We know, or think we know, that there are places entrusted with recognizing the value of a body of work and turning it into something that can be seen, discussed, and remembered.
This is where idealization begins.
Not when we simply misunderstand the system, but when we assign it, in advance, an almost necessary function: to confirm that what we do has a place within art. The desire to be recognized therefore appears before recognition itself has ever taken place.
This is what makes idealization such an interesting form of power. It does not operate by imposing something from the outside. It works by making the artist desire, almost spontaneously, what the system is capable of granting.
The question, then, is not simply why artists seek approval. It is more radical: at what point did we begin to believe that recognition from the art world was necessary to make our identity as artists feel real?
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