How do people digest modern art?

  • Art
  • Thread starter chound
  • Start date
  • Tags
    Art
In summary: scope of this book. For it is not the artist but the critic who, in an age of a cult of the artist, believes himself in a position to dictate to the artist what he shall or shall not do. The critic who sets out to write a book on the relation between artist and art is like the physician who undertakes to treat a patient without first ascertaining the nature of the complaint. The critic who sets out to write about the relation of artist to art is like the physician who undertakes to treat a patient without first ascertaining the nature of the disease."
  • #1
chound
164
0
How do people digest modern art? I mean its so ugly and still people pay big bucks for it. Do they just do it to show that they are more cultured or something like that? The paintings are painings rather. They are so uncky.
One thing:
Michelangelo, etc paintings of nude people is treated with respect. But the porn photographs are ... u know. Why?
 
Science news on Phys.org
  • #2
Art is subjective. What you may think is ugly others may think is beautiful. For example, I love Dali prints, but others find them odd and weird.
 
  • #3
There is a certain objective beauty to art, just as there is to cars, even people. However, the aesthetic beauty of art isn't all objective. The taste of people also comes into play. As Kerrie said, what one person likes may not tickle another's fancy. But there must be SOME beauty to all art, otherwise we wouldn't like it at all.
 
  • #4
Justinius said:
There is a certain objective beauty to art, just as there is to cars, even people. However, the aesthetic beauty of art isn't all objective. The taste of people also comes into play. As Kerrie said, what one person likes may not tickle another's fancy. But there must be SOME beauty to all art, otherwise we wouldn't like it at all.

This is circular: We (some of us) like it because it's beautiful. It is beautiful because we (some of us) like it.
 
Last edited:
  • #5
chound said:
How do people digest modern art? I mean its so ugly and still people pay big bucks for it.

There are two different things here: appreciating art and paying big bucks for it. Ignoring the subjective nature of beauty, is there some law that says art should be beautiful?

Do they just do it to show that they are more cultured or something like that?

I suspect some do, and some don't. Why don't you ask them or read what they have to say about their works?

One thing:
Michelangelo, etc paintings of nude people is treated with respect. But the porn photographs are ... u know. Why?

Actually, Michangelo did not treat nude women with respect in his paintings. If he did, he would have used them as models for his female painting subjects, rather than using men, which explains why all the females in his paintings are rather masculine in appearance. No religious, social, or financial reasons excuse the fact that he should have used female models. If he truly respected them he would have done so.

Now, as for art works which feature nude people in explicit poses (call it "porn" if you like), why is that automatically disrespectful? Sex is part of life, and it can be an exploitative act. If art wants to explore this aspect of it, or even to celebrate it, that has nothing to do with disrespect. In fact, I find it rather respectful because it's showing how humans really are, warts and all, and not producing some glamourised or romanticised or sanitised caricature.

Norman Rockwell sucks.
 
  • #6
chound said:
How do people digest modern art? I mean its so ugly and still people pay big bucks for it. Do they just do it to show that they are more cultured or something like that? The paintings are painings rather. They are so uncky.

What about that one guy whose artistic masterpiece is really just a large (unpainted) white canvas? I'm not even sure how he managed to pass that off as art. Perhaps the white canvas conveyed emotions?

I think some of the scientific diagrams that are found in articles are more artistic than some of these, but beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Most people outside of this forum wouldn't consider Cloud-chamber tracings as art.
 
  • #7
No one at all is reading above posts.

I'm also suprised to see even supposedly educated individuals making such blatanly wrong statements.

Perhaps you should read up on Adler's chapter on Consciousness and its Objects, which explains the flaw behind Locke's idea that everyone's 'ideas' are subjective.
 
  • #8
dekoi said:
No one at all is reading above posts.

I'm also suprised to see even supposedly educated individuals making such blatanly wrong statements.

How do you know they are wrong statements if nobody (which logically includes you) has read them? Are you trying to prove that you don't exist?

dekoi said:
Perhaps you should read up on Adler's chapter on Consciousness and its Objects, which explains the flaw behind Locke's idea that everyone's 'ideas' are subjective.

Perhaps you should quote us a little of it. I hope its better than Otto Rank's Art & Artist, the wonderfully knotty preface of which I will quote from here:

"As this book treats of the relation between artist and art, the field of its investigations is naturally a frontier strip. Consequently it requires not only an introduction but, even before that, a negative delimitation for the purpose of excluding what is not, and is purposely not meant to be included".

Boy should that guy get a D minus :rolleyes:
 
  • #9
chound said:
How do people digest modern art? I mean its so ugly and still people pay big bucks for it. Do they just do it to show that they are more cultured or something like that? The paintings are painings rather. They are so uncky.
One thing:
Michelangelo, etc paintings of nude people is treated with respect. But the porn photographs are ... u know. Why?

The problem is dirtier and uglier than it seems. Not only are modern arts getting uglier and filthier, they are also getting more and more criminalised by unscrupulous and 'thiefy' business world. These thieves would buy arts at rock-bottom poverty-prices from the artists who slaved and spent sleepless nights to create all these artworks and they would sell them at extortionist sky-rocked prices, often running into hundreds of millions of pounds. And the longer these artworks exchange hands within this heavilly unjust art world, the more extortionist they become. From the the very first moment that these artists parted with their artworks, both them and their families would never see a penny again as these artworks change hands from one shrewed individual and institution to the next.

We know that all the classical artists whose works are very famous today and becoming the most expensive in the art industry, not even a single benevolence fund has been set up by the art institutions to benefit their families. Both these classical artists and their families have been robbed of their fortunes that are now in the hands of these unscrupolous elements.

One would have thought that the modern artists who are still living would have at least noticed this kind of injustice and made some effort to end it. Oh no,...instead, they turn a blind eye and allow themselves to be cheated out of their valuable artworks and fortunes.


WHAT AN INJUSTICE! HOW, FOR HEAVEN'S SAKE, CAN A BUSINESS MAN BUY AN ARTWORK FROM AN ARTIST FOR £20,000 AND SELL IT FOR £8,000,000 SIX MONTHS LATE? WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?

The BIG question now is:

What are the modern and still-living artists going to do take back their industry and run it themselves in their own terms? What are they going to do? Protest by not making arts any more? Cry? For christ's sake, what are they going to do?

SUGGESTION:

All new arts deals must come with a clause which allows artists to earn royalties on their artworks forever. When these artists die their families continue to earn royalities on their artworks. That is, artists must continue to earn royalties every step of the way. Regardless of who is the current owner or holder of any of their artworks, they must earn money everytime any of their artworks exchanges hands for these criminal amounts of money.

We also need, a proper independent, non-governmental, non-business, body to regulate this industry, decriminalise it, and enforce upholdment of all payment clauses.


On the issue of the increasing ugliness of modern arts, well, I have no idea what should be done. That artists have got spookier and spookier in recent times is beyond dispute. With what I have personally seen in recent years (from artworks made with human and animal corpses to paintings with human excrements), the only thing I can recommend for some of these artists is for them to get their heads examined. I just don't know what to say. But I love some of their inovations though!
 
Last edited:
  • #10
These are Wolflins Modes...They are the technical discussion of fine art.

Unity, Harmony, Rhythm, Balance, Contrast, Variation, Emphasis, Proportion, Transition

Color, Line, Form, Value, Texture, Space, Shape.

Art is a three fold process involving the Artist, The Art, and The Viewer of the art. Junk in Junk out, they say in the computer world. Artists view this world, or their dreams, or their emotions, or random imagery from this beautiful world, this chaotic world, this orderly world, this hateful world, this loving world; what ever the artist projects what ever the artist can make, record, witness and record. For every ideation, there is an expression, and then a viewer.

Norman Rockwell had a very affectionate eye in regards, to innocent Americana of his era. He comforts the American psyche. Edvard Muench was having some sort of day, when he painted The Scream. According to experts, the Mona Lisa is Michaelangelo's self portrait in drag.

There is a positive viewer for every object and a negative one, and an indifferent one. Find what you like, make a world that you like to look at, attract people to it that you like, and be happy. Don't worry if you feel alienated from Modern Art, a lot of Modern Art is about alienation. But, Modern Art is anything recently made, so there is Modern Art of every sort.
 
Last edited:
  • #11
According to experts, the Mona Lisa is Michaelangelo's self portrait in drag.

Some experts! La Gioconda was painted by Leonardo.
 
  • #12
Thank you, I got lost among the words and the Italian masters.
 

1. How does the human brain interpret modern art?

The human brain interprets modern art through a combination of visual perception, memory, and personal experiences. The brain processes the visual elements of a piece, such as color, line, and shape, and then connects them to past memories and associations. This creates a unique interpretation of the artwork for each individual viewer.

2. Why is modern art often difficult to understand?

Modern art can be difficult to understand because it often challenges traditional forms and techniques, making it unfamiliar to many people. It also often lacks recognizable subjects or narratives, requiring viewers to rely on their own interpretations and associations.

3. How do emotions play a role in digesting modern art?

Emotions play a significant role in how people digest modern art. The use of color, composition, and other visual elements can evoke different emotions in viewers. Additionally, the personal experiences and memories that are triggered by the artwork can also influence one's emotional response.

4. What factors influence a person's perception of modern art?

A person's perception of modern art can be influenced by a variety of factors, including their cultural background, education, personal experiences, and exposure to different forms of art. These factors can shape an individual's understanding and appreciation of modern art.

5. Can modern art be objectively judged?

Modern art, like any form of art, is subjective and cannot be objectively judged. Each person's interpretation and appreciation of a piece is unique and based on their own perceptions and experiences. What one person may see as a masterpiece, another may see as unimpressive. There is no right or wrong way to digest modern art.

Similar threads

  • General Discussion
Replies
12
Views
2K
Replies
2
Views
876
Replies
3
Views
2K
  • Art, Music, History, and Linguistics
Replies
1
Views
1K
Replies
11
Views
2K
Replies
4
Views
807
Replies
9
Views
1K
Replies
1
Views
95
Replies
16
Views
2K
Back
Top