Ahhh I don't know what to do my presentation on - Studio Brief 3

Right now I have two vague ideas that I am interested in (which I have just drawn out of my research):

1. This idea of commercial art having a focus on aesthetic values is something which cropped up a lot in my essay. It was described as something which is numbing and reassuring thats main aim is to grab out attention. It was argued that that it exists simply to draw us in so that we can be sold something and told what we already know. (- Read and Swanger)

I am interested in weather or not this theory can still be applied to contemporary illustration // this idea of aesthetic values vs. conceptual ones. Which come first? - I am interested in weather there are illustrations with a primary focus is on aesthetic values and nothing more, if so how do they function / in contrast to illustrations with a focus on communicating a concept (where aesthetics just exist to aid this storytelling). It would also be interesting to explore weather or not one can exist without the other. Can illustration move in the direction of some fine art and become purely conceptual or does this totally defy what illustration is because it is no longer able to clearly visually communicate anything.

If I were to look into this I like the fact that there is such a strong focus on illustration and I wouldn't have the struggle of having to keep trying to link it back. It also feels very contemporary because it is comparing illustration at present to past views on 'commercial art' in general. I also find this idea of aesthetics really interesting and I could maybe even go into explore the psychology of it?
However, I am not sure how much I would be able to dig up on the relationship between aesthetics and conceptual values (particularly in the world of illustration) and I'm worried that I'll go off on a tangent and start looking at the psychology of colour in advertising or something.

2. The word 'taste' also cropped up a lot in my research, particularly in the discussion of the elite as the 'taste-makers' in an elitist society.

This idea of taste and style in art and why it changes is something that I find really interesting. I could look into what determines taste and why styles come and go - the psychology of it. It could be interesting to explore why we have moved away from intellectual standards - hierarchy, order, geometry towards work that is irrational and instead uses intuition. - why are things that are off balance now pleasing to us when they weren't in the past.  - what is taste and where does it come from?

I feel like maybe this second concept feels a bit thinner but I am not sure if it is just because I haven't thought about it as much.

-- I have just realised that these concepts are super linked, so I might even end up exploring both. (taste and aesthetics/ psychology)