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user-inactivated  ·  3174 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: Why is Modern Art so Bad?

I don't know, I've seen a lot of modern art in museums, galleries, online, that floored me. Vivid, expressive, immense, stunning. And then there's the acrylic toaster sitting in an empty room, which I just don't get. I think what might possibly be involved is that there are different art movements, different phases of popularity. Much like music. For a period of ten years or so, all the clubs I went to that used to play what I considered good dance music started playing hip hop, and then nothing but hip hop. I got so frustrated, why are you doing this, why is this godawful music infiltrating everything I hold dear? At the same time quite aware hip hop isn't necessarily bad, per se; it's just not something I'm into. It was hard not to take personally, though, because suddenly, I couldn't go to these clubs anymore; it's only been in the past year that I've slowly been noticing hip hop losing its hold.

I'm not sure why this can be such a divisive topic, intellectually, it confuses me. I mean, being an artist myself, I take art seriously, I have definite opinions about what is and is not art, but also I realize: beauty is in the eye of the beholder. What's arts and crafts to me is art to another. I've had many people show me their artwork, asking me for their opinion, and I have to heavily censor myself: they don't need excoriation from me, they instead need support.

I remember being part of an art group and attending galleries where someone would put some art piece up, and spend an hour talking about why it was art. And I just stood in the corner, quietly, thinking, if it's good art, you don't need to explain it.

And then there was the time at MOMA where in an effort to get away from the crowd, I stood in a partially walled off section off to the side, next to a stairwell, and a hole in the ceiling opening up to sky above me. I stood there, looking up, entranced, the sky was beautiful, sunlight pouring through the ceiling, illuminating the white walls. People from time to time would come over, thinking, wow, this must be a good art piece, they'd look around, see nothing, and leave. Absolutely cracked me up.