The third direction art may take is the one of the artist-craftsman. Because of the increased importance of self-referential and conceptual art, craftsmanship has lost much of its high value among artists during the second half of the twentieth century. The last few decades however, artists with a keen interest in craftsmanship began to move in front. They began to reinstitute old techniques and developed new, more positive attitudes towards craftsmanship.

Artists who actually do their own work with their own hands and who derive their identity and success partly from their craftsmanship are typical of this new or rather reinvented type of artist. It is because of them that paintings, ballets and musical compositions are again allowed to be admired for their technical virtuosity and can be considered ‘beautiful’ again according to some critics.
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As predicted as possible normalization of the economy of the arts via the emergence of new types of artists with new attitudes. Currently, artists’ attitudes are moving in basically four directions. Each of the four directions has its own type of artist who might be said to exemplify that direction.

Many modern artists have developed an attitude that resembles the scientist’s attitude. Most of these artist-researchers are not particularly interested in audiences or buyers. Studios are laboratories, while concert halls, museums, books, and internet sites are lecture rooms for a select and well-informed audience.
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Arts-related jobs such as teaching art differ in a number of respects from non-arts jobs. Teaching art usually pays better and offers more satisfaction than, for instance, cleaning. Therefore, it is understandable that when artists start to earn more they sooner give up non-arts jobs than arts related jobs. The difference is also evidenced by the fact that art students sometimes try get a teaching degree as well.

These students intend to work as full-time artists if things work out, but if they don’t, they are assured of a pleasant second job as an art teacher. Moreover, part-time artists who hold down teaching positions for a number of years usually make less of an effort in order to pursue their career in art.
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It is important to realize that the thesis that more money leads to more artists and not higher incomes, doesn’t only mean subsidies but all forms of income. Nevertheless, in the following sections I shall concentrate on subsidization (including social welfare), rather than on spending and donations, because the goal of subsidization is often the raising of incomes in the arts and because subsidization expenditures are more easily influenced by politics than either spending or donations.

More arts subsidies doesn’t increase artists’ average incomes; it only leads to more work hours spent on art. What is the impact of specific subsidies in specific countries?
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It is fairly evident that most rich and civilized societies find it intolerable that some of their citizens live below the accepted poverty level. Especially in Europe governments see it as their first responsibility that people have enough money to lead a decent life.

Although in the thirties the us were the first to subsidize the arts for social reasons, it was in Europe that substantial aid for the arts emerged after the Second World War. After the war, European governments embarked on a general mission of social justice, which focused on eliminating poverty altogether. Their efforts in the arts were particularly resolute.
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