Dharshini Karthikeyan - Week 15 - Modern "Art"
image: https://threepennypress.org/opinions/2023/02/22/quite-the-spectacle-why-i-think-contemporary-art-is-a-joke/
Modern art is as controversial as it is confusing. For example, I refuse to believe that the painting above was sold for over 100 million dollars. There are many opinions critics have about modern art, and while some call it “a prank of some sorts” and “an insult to art,” others call it a brilliant way to spark “cultural subversion” and “pioneering a modern era of art.” While it is up to you to decide whether the painting above is worth millions of dollars, the emergence of modern art isn’t so surprising when you consider the western history of art.
Throughout the Renaissance, artists were multidisciplinary, and they focused on developing our understanding of anatomy through art. This is why paintings such as the Mona Lisa and Da Vinci’s “Vitruvian Man” are highly life like and are clearly focused on a singular subject matter. Soon after this was the Baroque period, during which art was emotional, dramatic, and religious; a huge difference from the realistic nature of paintings during the Rennaissance. Romanticism and Modern Realism were soon developed after this, and paintings started to get less life-like. Van Gogh’s painting The Starry Night is one of the most popular paintings today, but it was highly criticized during his time period due to its unrealistic nature. Although his painting was deemed worthless in the post-impressionist era, it’s invaluable today.
The art that we view as masterpieces today weren’t always considered perfection. Even Michelangelo’s sculptures were heavily critiqued and Van Gogh was deemed a failure during his lifetime, despite being world-renowned historical artists today. Maybe sometime in the far, far future people will come to appreciate modern art, and it might even be considered as valuable and precious as the Mona Lisa is to us today.
Article: https://medium.com/counterarts/why-everybody-hates-contemporary-art-and-artists-5500174b65d8
Hi Dharshini! I thought the quick run through of western art history was very useful, and it does make sense how the interpretations and reputations of certain art forms are always susceptible to change. However, I find it hard to believe that time will turn modern art into an art form as respected and valued as some of the ones you described. With modern art, I think there's a wide variability in terms of the impact modern art has on people compared to that of art from other periods. To be specific, modern art sometimes lacks the meaning and emotion that classifies art like the pieces you mentioned as iconic. Also, with modern art, it sometimes feels like the artists are not that dedicated to their work and are creating art for the money, and the perfect example of this is the picture of the painting you included, which somehow managed to sell for over 100 million dollars despite essentially being a blank canvas.
ReplyDeleteHi Dharshini,
ReplyDeleteYour blog consisted of an insightful exploration of the evolution of art through history. Your analysis aptly gives context to the controversy surrounding modern art by tracing its roots back to the Renaissance and beyond. It's fascinating to see how artistic styles have shifted from the meticulous realism of the Renaissance to the emotive expressiveness of the Baroque period and beyond. I am guilty of thinking that some modern art pieces are a prank and I have never understood the exact reason why modern art is even considered art. However, your blog put into perspective for me the potential but fitting reason for why critics consider contemporary art to spark “cultural subversion.” You aptly point out that many revered artists of the past faced criticism and rejection during their lifetimes, only to be celebrated as geniuses in later eras. This reflection serves as a reminder that our understanding and appreciation of art are constantly evolving, influenced by changing societal norms and values. Your mention of the famous painter Vincent Van Gogh's "The Starry Night" as a prime example of a once-dismissed masterpiece appropriately provides evidence for your reasoning. Maybe, as you suggest, future generations will come to regard today's modern art with the same reverence we hold for the classics.
Hello Dharshini! This does bring an interesting new perspective on modern art that I definitely haven't seen or thought about before. I guess the main problem that everyone seems to think about artistic works like these is that it "lacks effort". I would agree with this statement, because it is factually true. To replicate this, I just would need to purchase a huge quantity of paint, and slather it onto the canvas in thick layers, making sure that it is spread evenly and that the final texture of the work is smooth. Then, I can take some stencils and paint the strips that I see with minimal mathematical consideration, because visually, it seems to be painted with randomness in mind. All in all, maybe $250 for the materials and maybe 2-3 days for the complete painting. Altogether, a fairly normal and simple experience. But I think that this speaks more about the demand and artificial inflation of prices in artistic high society, because people purchase art as a form of wealth that only grows as time went on. Collapse the market, collapse the prices. The people involved in this fear a significant drop in value, so they counter it with exclusivity and overvaluing the work of the occasional "virtuoso".
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