Contemporary Art

[Valerie Gudorf]

A recent statement by Sharon got me to thinking about the aesthetics of contemporary art. She noted that many people mistakenly believe that contemporary art cannot be aesthetically beautiful. I had made a somewhat disparaging remark about the "East Coast Art Establishment"."My Bad", as the teen like to say---Ha-ha!

I must have conveyed the wrong impression. I've seen a lot of beautiful and striking examples of Contemporary Art. My point was that, much of what garners the highest Praise in the Art world seems to go out of its way to be, well---ugly. The Art Renewal Center, a website dedicated to the "gospel of Classical Realism", expresses much more eloquently the sentiments I was trying to convey, but I'll give it a shot. So much of modern and contemporary art strikes me as pompous and downright pugnacious in its insistence on being "confrontational".

I don't believe that strong polictical views should be off limits in art, but I do resent that some art seems to derive its value solely on its ability to be politically insulting. I also resent it when someone's wounded and twisted inner child, luridly expressed on canvas is lauded as the vanguard of high art. The definition of art seems to fall along such a sliding scale nowadays, that the Columbine massacre was dubbed "performance art" by some.

When a work has to be justified or explained by the use of intellectual pycho-babble, I believe it is the art equivalent of "the Emperor's new clothes". Too many artists fancy themselves as being members of "the intelligentsia", who must educate the ignorant masses (i.e., those of us who did not go art shcool and minor in art history) with condescending verbiage. The end result is that much of what passes for art nowadays alienates the average viewer and engages in a kind of artistic incest.

I was wondering what some of you feel about the state of art today. Since this is "The Cafe Guerbois", I hope it will result in lively and engaging repartee.

[Steven Sweeney]

The silence may indicate that everyone's pretty well scoped out on this endlessly debatable and irresolvable issue, in a variety of Cafe threads, some listed here:


The Turner Prize

Realism in the Art World Today

Picasso & Modern Art

Lucian Freud Portrait of Queen Elizabeth

Justifiable Aversion to Art Shows

Dave Barry: Modern Art Stinks

Tumbling Woman


"Just a thought," as they say.

[Valerie Gudorf]

Thanks Steven,

Holy smokes! This is rather embarrassing. I thought I'd already read through most of the postings on this forum. Obviously not !

I really need to join a local art association in order to engage in friendly banter over art issues. Seems you guys have already covered most of the obvious stuff. Sorry...

[Karin Wells]

For some of us this is a subject that cannot ever be thoroughly talked out. I am glad that you brought it up and I urge you to cheerfully jump into any or all of these threads and add your 2 cents worth.

I agree with you about "The Emperor's New Clothes" analogy. I do not like unpleasant confrontational people in my home nor do I like unpleasant confrontational work on my walls. I likewise avoid "contemporary" museums and galleries.

[ReNae Stueve]

I'm concerned about the society whose reflection is seen in the type of art you refer to.

I've stopped yelling at that mirror though.

[Sharon Knettell]

Valerie,

Actually I think some clarification is due as to what I meant by that thought. What I mean is that the holders of the power in the contempory art establishment frown on aesthestics. They think it is irrevelant.

I agree with your assessment on contempory art. I toiled at the Rhode Island School of Design for three years. It is one of the major training grounds for these enfants terribles. I won't go into a lenghty discussion of the silly and downright dreadfull stuff I saw.

My beloved veterinarian, who is looking to send her daughter to art school, said to me recently, vis-a-vis the art at RISD, "it's just so ugly". She was bewildered by the trash paraded as art around the buildings. She had the belief so many of us have held that aesthics were somehow an important part of art.

I won't go into a rant about how unjustified it is. However I think some representational artists, and I include myself, are at fault. We endlessly repeat themes. If I see another seaport scene I think I will scream. I will not do another child in a white dress with a big white bow. Diane Arbus a well known photographer said, "If you've seen it before don't take the picture".

We have a tendency toward the trite and easy. We do not push ourselves artistically and compositionally. Some of the contempory paintings I see at ARC are rehashes of the old themes. Pleasant people doing pleasant things in pleasant landscapes.

I do think some of the past artists should "resquiat in pace". For example, Alma Tadema and those overwrought historical scenes.

I am happy for Matisse, Monet, Manet and Cezanne who brought us a fresh view of the world. Otherwise we would still be awash in a sea of sentimental putti.

Sincerely,

[Enzie Shahmiri]

Valerie,

You have summed up how I feel about this subject. Yet, sometimes I wonder how an artist among so many others is supposed to be unique and attract attention.

Maybe as a society we are to blame for the type of contemporary art that keeps popping up, leaving most of us to wonder exactly what makes the work worth the title.

Please realize that I do not agree with any sort of art that is distasteful or shocking. I have found though, that traditionalists love to stop others who want to push the envelope.

I like to use digitally created portraits as an example (not scanned in and touched up, but entirely created from scratch). It's safe to say that this is a non traditional-way of achieving a likeness and I will go as far as saying it is contemporary with the times. A portrait created entirely on Photoshop for example requires knowledge of tools, knowledge of anatomy and an artistic eye.

I have watched the movie "Final Fantasy" with my son and was blown away how realistic the figures looked and was saddened to see that the artists received so little recognition.

If we don't recognize tasteful new approaches to art and support those who want to experiment (after having learned the fundamentals, of course), we might not leave the new generation with new ways of being creative without having to resort to art we can't relate to.

[Steven Sweeney]

The

[Sharon Knettell]

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