Copied from
my LJ. I thought some people might find it interesting.
(Pic more or less related)
I have some qualms with most of the modern art I've seen. I went on an off-campus, Art History trip to NYC one summer, and as it turned out my professor was a specialist in modern art, so that was all we got to see. I like to think of myself as very open to all different mediums and styles. However, I found myself rapidly getting very frustrated with the professor as he praised other students for coming up with "interpretations" of the art we saw, when they were clearly bullshitting off the top of their head. I did all of the required work for the class, so the professor had to to give me an "A." But it was clear that he despised me for not kissing up like everyone else by pretending I enjoyed to artwork we visited.
To give you an example of the art galleries we visited, here are some of the pieces I remember most vividly:
A giant tub of cat litter the size of a kiddy pool,
A dead shark suspended in gel,
A pile of rotted furniture seemingly tossed unthinkingly into a pile,
A series of "charcoal drawings" which were just plain pieces of paper covered completely with black,
A huge room dedicated to scribbles some fool had made with his foot.
Throughout the trip the teacher and I argued bitterly, with him insisting that I was not willing to "think" and thus completely missing the point of this artwork, which is meant to be interpreted by the viewer. I think the point where I really lost it was when he took us down to Chelsea where we spent an entire hour in a room filled with at least a hundred jars of moldy urine, which the "artist" had "made" himself.
I'm sorry. I did not go to college, spend thousands of dollars, and slave away at my craft (which involves writing, drawing, anatomy, architecture, fashion, and countless other considerations) just to accept that someone collecting their own piss in a jar is worthy of the same study. This particular artist was also clearly under the influence of heavy drugs. I cannot bring myself to respect someone like that, I cannot bring myself to assign value and meaning to their art. At best they are reusing old materials, at worst they are an outright insult to people who put real time and dedication into their artwork. It's because of people like them that artists have a bad name as lazy, insane, drug-addicted, burdens on society.
Art is a very subjective thing, I will admit this. Just because I don't like contemplating the meaning of a moldy jar of piss doesn't mean my art history professor might not get something truly valuable out of the experience. But what truly insulted me was his repeated accusation that I was unwilling to think about it, and that was why I didn't have the same level of appreciation. To which I responded that I could easily make the same sort of abstract, nonsensical "art" for people to try to get a meaning out of. To which he responded, "Then why don't you?" To which I responded, "Because I have better things to do!"
This professor mocked me for the type of art I like. He made it clear that he thought comics were a child's medium, that they were far too self-explanatory, and that anyone with a shred of intelligence would prefer art that forces you to come up with made-up explanations for the work.
For me, art is all about storytelling, which is why I love making comics. But my favorite artwork isn't always in comic form, I can also appreciate art that has symbolic meaning, or illustrations with a metaphorical message. I like figures with expressions that tell you who they are and what they are feeling. My goal as an artist is to connect with my readers/viewers somehow. If my message gets across, then I feel I have succeeded.
Most modern art, on the other hand, offers very little to work with as far as understanding what the artist's intent was. In my opinion, if you need a guide to explain the artwork, then you have failed as an artist. Moreover, it seems somehow elitist to me to expect people to grasp at straws to understand what the hell you're getting at, as if you are some kind of genius they could never possibly understand. It seems to me that these types of artists are actually lacking in the most important value of being an artist, which is that of communication.
Anyway, those are my two (biased) cents.
