Work of Art

Eep! Long time, no new content! I have an entry about the figure almost ready to go, but I wanted to share that there's a new reality show dealing with art called Work of Art. Again, yes, it's reality show, and a competition one as well, but so far that has been some really interesting, progressive, and modern art being produced. One of my favorite blogs, Tom and Lorenzo, has already started recapping the episodes.

After I've watched the first episode I'll probably discuss it a little bit here as well, but in the mean time, if you do decide to check it out, catch how many times you dismiss or adore a piece of art purely on gut reaction, and then reassess it concerning technicality and artistic merit the art actually provides (or doesn't). This is a good exercise in learning how to also view art on an objective level, which is something I want to explore in this blog to great length.

Abstraction in Modern Art

The last couple of years I've listened to my friends express increasing dislike and confusion with Modern Art, even the ones studying Art History, and there's something wrong when even an Art History major isn't sure what Modern Art is. The problem, I feel, is that the time hasn't been taken to coherently discuss what exactly is going on. Modernism is a very messy subject, my previous English professors willingly expressed as much, and often times people who lecture about it are so caught up in the idea that they forget to explain where the idea comes from.

Terminology

The following are a few terms that will most likely be reoccurring while I continue to write in this blog. I've tried to add a few different definitions, and then my interpretation of the definition since some terms can be a little confusing. I've added links to Wikipedia articles since they're the easiest to access, however, please be advised that Wikipedia isn't considered a reliable source and portions of their articles may be incorrect. However, I still feel they're worth looking over, especially since several reliable articles I could link are under restricted access or require payment, and that isn't what this blog is about!

Sources

Most items that need a source citation are often found within the blog post containing the item as I usually only refer to them once. However, here are a few resources I typically refer to on a regular basis, or have used for study. Keep in mind that most of my knowledge comes from the curriculum taught to me while I was an undergrad. You can find a list of the classes I took and at which institution on the Credentials page.

Credentials

Before I get into this, let me just go ahead and be completely honest:

I DO NOT CLAIM TO BE AN EXPERT ON MODERNISM.

As discussed in the About page, this blog is solely my interpretation of the collective movements that form Modernism. So far my interpretation has helped others gain a better understanding of the subject in order to learn more about it. That does not, however, mean I can't be wrong, and you're welcome to point out as much at any time. Anyway...

About

Okay, so let's be frank; Modern Art is stupid.

And I mean that in the way we look at Modern Art, the way we're taught to look at Modern Art, tends confuse us on what Modern Art actually is. It makes it really easy for us to write it off as stupid because, as we've been taught the glory of the Renaissance, it's nothing like the "art" that we're accustomed to. And since Modern Art is supposed to make art accessible to everyone, how can it achieve that when we're led to believe that art isn't actually accessible to everyone because we place value in ability? There isn't any artistic ability sticking a urinal in a museum, that's for sure.

This is what I hear when my friends talk to me about Modernism, and you know what? It's true. Modern Art doesn't make sense because we're missing a big piece of the puzzle that the artist expects the viewer to understand so their art makes sense, but when they make their art accessible to everyone, how can everyone be expected to have that piece of the puzzle? And when I say a big piece of the puzzle, I mean big. As in, the entire history of art predating the last 100 years or so.

So where does that put you? How the hell are you supposed to look at Modern Art without having to spend oodles of time wallowing in lethargic and overtly complicated essays and text books attempting to explain the subject? Even the Wikipedia entry can make one's head swim! And to top it off, the ideas behind modernism are rather fluid concepts, which makes it even harder to pinpoint what exactly is going on. Well, you're in luck, because I'm going to impart what I know about Modernism and the previous movements as simply as I can, like I did for my friends, and hopefully it'll help you achieve a better understanding of why Modern Art is more than just being stupid.