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REQUIRED VIEWING: "You're Wrong About Modern Art"
2 years ago
General
I cannot recommend Ethan is Online's video, "You're Wrong About Modern Art," enough!
My takeaway from it is how the right's resentment of modern art is no different to their saying, "We can always tell," as a statement of intent, not fact, because they need it to be stupidly easy for them to oppress who they want dead and what they don't like. They need to attach a concrete definition to art itself and a group of people--queer people especially--when they can't truly fit complex and amorphous topics into single pre-fabricated molds.
Please watch Ethan's video whenever you can! It's awesome!
My takeaway from it is how the right's resentment of modern art is no different to their saying, "We can always tell," as a statement of intent, not fact, because they need it to be stupidly easy for them to oppress who they want dead and what they don't like. They need to attach a concrete definition to art itself and a group of people--queer people especially--when they can't truly fit complex and amorphous topics into single pre-fabricated molds.
Please watch Ethan's video whenever you can! It's awesome!
My takeaway from it is how the right's resentment of modern art is no different to their saying, "We can always tell," as a statement of intent, not fact, because they need it to be stupidly easy for them to oppress who they want dead and what they don't like.
Or, you know, it's just that most reasonable people simply see it as pretentious nonsense with no real effort put in. This whole "modern art" trend is probably the most blatant example of the emperor's new clothes in existence right now. Can we please stop pretending that someone taping a banana to a wall is on the same level of talent and creativity as Michelangelo? If you're looking for real art, there are plenty of examples right here on this website with images that show their value through their attention to detail, whether it's just commissioned character sketches done over a weekend or complete digital art pieces with months of work behind them. You can't blame people for getting angry when someone tells them that dumping a bunch of empty cardboard boxes on the floor is somehow just as valid and deserving of praise. It's insulting to people who actually try.
This isn't even about politics. You're just so indoctrinated by this culture war obsession of yours that you think everything has to be about "the left" or "the right" instead of real life experiences. Consider seeking out content creators beyond the BreadTube bubble. I almost went down the same radicalization pipeline back when I used to watch The Young Turks and Cult of Dusty several years ago during my "done with Christianity" phase. I snapped out of it when I realized I was just being spoonfed biased talking points and not actual facts. It's honestly terrifying to think that if I hadn't decided to start thinking for myself, I probably would've ended up like you.
Instead of viewing just any art online, why not go to art museums or arthouses in person? You know, touch grass? That way you have an unbiased, unpixelated perspective of the art, and learn each piece's context and purpose. Did you know Van Gogh's The Starry Night was actually his view from within an asylum, save for the village? Oh, and that "SoMeOnE tApInG a BaNaNa To A wAlL" is Maurizio Cattelan, whose known for being tongue-in-cheek. You allow your own frustration with understanding modern art make you think you're being scammed, not allow yourself to embrace and understand your own feelings with the art.
In actuality, art is supposed to be self-explanatory, conveying its deeper meanings through the subjects depicted, not explained away through endless third-party speculation. For example, pretty much any drawing on this website makes it easy to tell at a glance that the characters involved are meant to represent their creators in one way or another. Now let's look at Bridge by Robert Ryman. What's the meaning there? Is it meant to be abstract, minimalist, or a parody of the current state of the art industry? No one really knows, and when it's all said and done, it's ultimately just white paint on a board. If you can't instantly understand and connect with something when you see it because there's just not enough effort put into the source material to work with, should it really count as art? This isn't about some secret political agenda to oppress people. It's about what actually makes art special.