Discussion Art, classic or modern?

[falling_snow]

Just for some discussion!

Modern and contemporary art has been bugging a LOT of people. What do you think about it? Is technique or is the message more important? Or is it the process or maybe all?

But the main question for yall is: What is art?

 

[pollux]

I don't get why some people dislike modern art. Some of them I find quite interesting and aesthetic. Not a huge art buff though, so I don't have any examples in mind.

I believe art is ultimately a way to express something about the human condition that is not easily transmitted through words. So you should understand it just by experiencing it; it should require no explanation.

 

[Mirrory Me]

Modern and contemporary art has been bugging a LOT of people.

Hm, what do you mean by that? After all, these are matters of taste of what everyone personally likes.

I guess it's some way to outline or express something. What that means is a different question.

 

[Forveleth]

I hated modern art and judged art by it's perceived intricacy/required skill level UNTIL I saw a clip from Daredevil that changed my outlook on art forever. Now I get it. It really is just about how it makes you feel.

 

[Ferdinand Bardamu]

What is art?

Whatever is defined as art in a social context IMO. IIRC quite a lot of "great works of Art" were considered shite in the past.

 

[Mirrory Me]

I hated modern art and judged art by it's perceived intricacy/required skill level UNTIL I saw a clip from Daredevil that changed my outlook on art forever. Now I get it. It really is just about how it makes you feel.

In that case, I guess you should play classical music at an art exhibition to get people hypnotized.

 

[leavingthesoultrap]

I am not a fan of modern art (that means everything that came after expressionism).
I am not talking about anime or digital art just to be clear. What I mean are those expensive pieces in galleries

 

[avoid]

What is art to me? There are many forms of art. Generally, I want to lose myself in the art; to be captivated—be it a book, painting, film, act or piece. In the case of paintings, I enjoy landscapes and pre-industrial scenes. I don't like modern art for my home but think it suits modern office building and other spacious buildings/rooms.

 

[sserafim]

Classic

I am not a fan of modern art (that means everything that came after expressionism).
I am not talking about anime or digital art just to be clear. What I mean are those expensive pieces in galleries

Same. I'm not a fan of modern or contemporary art either. In my opinion, art should be beautiful. It should be aesthetically pleasing

 

[EvisceratedJester]

I like both. While I'm not the most knowledgeable on modern art, I do think that it gets shit on a lot more than it deserves. A lot of it can be very creative and a lot of people working on it do put effort into it, even if it's in ways that aren't noticeable at first. Art isn't meant to just be aesthetic, good art pushes boundaries. Art can be an experience, one that requires that the viewer is there in person to see and experience it themself in order to truly understand the meaning behind it.

Take this painting for example:

It was painted by Robert Rauschenberg. He wanted to created a painting that looked untouched by the human hand, so he meticulously painted each of these panels in white paint. He did so carefully as to not leave any visible brush strokes, which results in all of the canvases looking completely blank. Despite how it looks, I consider it to be an impressive and I can't help but admire the large amounts of work that probably went into trying to accomplish this effect.

 

[falling_snow]

ohhhh, so many good responses. imo, art is about a message. like putting a message for everyone to see. im mainly against monetazing art, making them expensive or luxurious. one that i consider art would be 'Take the money and run', bascally a blank canvas and the author took 84000$ for it. it gives a message and i love it. and it doesnt have to be pretty.

 

[leavingthesoultrap]

I like both. While I'm not the most knowledgeable on modern art, I do think that it gets shit on a lot more than it deserves. A lot of it can be very creative and a lot of people working on it do put effort into it, even if it's in ways that aren't noticeable at first. Art isn't meant to just be aesthetic, good art pushes boundaries. Art can be an experience, one that requires that the viewer is there in person to see and experience it themself in order to truly understand the meaning behind it.

Take this painting for example:
View attachment 140791
It was painted by Robert Rauschenberg. He wanted to created a painting that looked untouched by the human hand, so he meticulously painted each of these panels in white paint. He did so carefully as to not leave any visible brush strokes, which results in all of the canvases looking completely blank. Despite how it looks, I consider it to be an impressive and I can't help but admire the large amounts of work that probably went into trying to accomplish this effect.

He could just airbrush it

 

[EvisceratedJester]

He could just airbrush it

Yeah, and I could just use an AI to render some artwork of some random anime character but that wouldn't make it impressive, now would it?

What he did was a display of his skills as a painter. This is a painting that was made with a lot of care and because it was probably something that he wanted to use to challenge himself. Plenty of artists willingly take the hard road when it comes their art. There's something to admire about people putting in a bunch of care dedication towards something they are passionate about, rather than just half-assing it.

Would, for example, Marina Abramović's performance art piece, Rhythm 0, where she stands completely still in silence or six hours straight, allowing people to do whatever they want with her body despite it forcing her to endure several minor sexual assaults and being cut, hit as hard if she just called it quits the moment things went a bit awry? Would her performance hit as hard if it weren't for her dedication to go through with the whole six hours? Would it be as good if she broke character whenever someone violated her in any way? She could have taken the easy way out (and I wouldn't blame her if she did, tbh) but she was so dedicated to her art that she willing endured all sorts of awful shit for it. She even went as far as to be willing to allow herself to be raped and murder for it. She literally had a loaded gun aimed at her head and she still stood there, completely still and in silence.

Abramović said the work "pushed her body to the limits"[5]​ Visitors were gentle to begin with, offering her a rose or a kiss.[2]​ Art critic Thomas McEvilley, who was present, wrote:

It began tamely. Someone turned her around. Someone thrust her arms into the air. Someone touched her somewhat intimately. The Neapolitan night began to heat up. In the third hour all her clothes were cut from her with razor sharp blades. In the fourth hour the same blades began to explore her skin. Her throat was slashed so someone could suck her blood. Various minor sexual assaults were carried out on her body. She was so committed to the piece that she would not have resisted rape or murder. Faced with her abdication of will, with its implied collapse of human psychology, a protective group began to define itself in the audience. When a loaded gun was thrust to Marina's head and her own finger was being worked around the trigger, a fight broke out between the audience factions."[7]​

Rhythm 0 - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

My point is that a lot of artists work hard to push boundaries, even when it is at their own inconvenience or, in some cases, involves putting themselves in potentially vulnerable positions. Good art comes partly from the amount of work, dedication, and skill put into it. He wanted to paint something by hand that looked untouched, so he painted something that looks untouched by the human hand. He could have taken the easy way out, like using an airbrush, but he didn't. This was someone who was passionate about their work and was willing to put in a lot of time and effort into creating what is an impressive feat. There is a special type of passion and love one must have for what they are doing for them to put themselves through all sorts of shit for the sake of it.

 

[eatantz]

I like art from every period, i love art with meaning, pieces which tell stories or captivate your imagination. I'm not a fan of a lot of abstract art (e.gs those monochrome canvases) i loathe going to the Tate Modern most of the time, but i can respect the meaning of such pieces. I cant respect artists who make meaningless art(debatable) like that guy on tiktok who just splashes paint on canvases using a bucket