myth of artisthood

Artisthood is a myth – even today. Just as the aura of the work of art, demolished on countless occasions in the twentieth century, rises repeatedly from the ashes, so too clichéd ideas about the visionary artist and the healing power of art continue to recur. Such commonplaces are the most resilient of all; they have a mythical power. Are all artists, by definition, trapped in the myth of artisthood? Can this myth be ignored, defused or even dismantled? Is any kind of artistic practice conceivable without mystification and a claim to special status