Yeah, I'm Judgemental

So I went to the art museum the other day, and it occurred to me that there is a pretty solid reason why I don’t like much modern art.  There are certain developments in art, and I mean most art: painting, drawing, photography, poetry, and so on, that I simply don’t like.  It comes down primarily to three aspects of the art movement.  Art has become increasingly pretentious, selfish, and calculated.

            Pretention is a pretty obvious development.  While art has been held in high esteem throughout history, it seems artists like to hold themselves with the utmost respect nowadays.  There’s an idea that if you decide you are an artist (and really, should that be up to the rest of us?) that you are somehow superior.  If you make the claim that you are pursuing art, you get to display any random crap you want.  It’s almost like the goal is to make art abstract to the point of being impossible to appreciate.  If nobody likes what you are doing, it doesn't necessarily mean that you know something that the rest of us don't.

            Secondly, artists are often ridiculously selfish.  I know this often goes hand in hand with the pretention, but that doesn’t mean we should ignore it.  If you want me to read your story or buy your painting, it needs to have some sort of meaning.  I realize that you are trying to express yourself, but that’s really not enough to be classified as art.  Other people have to appreciate it as well, it’s not all about you.  If you paint a Madonna and throw feces at it, you are expressing yourself but it ain’t pretty.   Poetry is also a form of expression that is often so abstract it lacks all meaning.   Just because I don’t understand what you’re talking about doesn’t mean that you found special meaning.  The goal isn’t to confuse everyone else so you can feel good about yourself.  For selfish crap, please see pop music.

            Finally, many artists are working in an almost scientific capacity.  I know that you studied a color wheel and think you know how to use light and dark to force movement in the eye.  I’m proud of you, really.  You want to focus my eye somewhere?  There better be something worth seeing at the end of that tunnel.   Or you write a story with all the elements your teacher told you were important.  Hurray for you!  But did you have anything to say?  Knowing how to say something and having something to say are two totally different things.

            In all, I think the problem is that I want to see/hear/read something real.  I’m not saying everyone needs to relate to everything, but if your art is only made for other artists it has almost no value.  If it makes you feel better about yourself fine, but don’t try to make me look at it.