Modern Art

[88Devin07]

Currently taking a class on modern art, and Ive already taking two on modern architecture. Am I the only one that finds modernist architecture and modern art to be disgusting and unChristian?

I've been reading from our textbook and it talks about Picasso painting about a brothel he once went to, and another painting we saw in class was just a huge painting of a close up of a woman bare from the waist down, no real dignity or respect as in romantic(ism) style paintings, just in your face crudeness...

Does anyone else find it to be immoral or unChristian? It seems it's always promoting rejection of traditional values and beliefs.

 

[buzuxi02]

I agree with you. I have gone as far as to say this began with the Renaissance, where the sensual aspects of the image replaced traditional iconography.

 

[Knee V]

I find much of modern art to be unimpressive at best.

 

[Protoevangel]

I haven't thought enough about modern art to critique it's morality or Christian-ness. I find zero "art" value in modern art. It holds no interest or value to me.

 

[Kristos]

grotesque or gaudy?

 

[ProScribe]

It depends on what the person intends or means to convey in their art.

 

[gracefullamb]

grotesque or gaudy?

I vote both.

Several years back, like in the late 90's, they had a story about this self made man in New York. He owned, IIRC one of the largest if not the largest construction company in New York. Anyhow after years of struggling and sacrifices when he had made it his wife started supporting various causes heavily. One of her pet projects was supporting the arts. There was this grand opening of modern art that this man's wife was funding. The article stated this man was looking at a painting that was supposed to be a bird, quite confused and kept tilting his head left to right as if he thought the painting was upside down. He then commented on the painting by saying "I know bird when I see a bird and that ain't no bird!" The paper had a photo of the painting and that man was right it looked more like someone ate way too much candy corn on Halloween and then puked all over the canvas.

ETA: I left out this guy's statement came in the middle of several art critics/ experts standing in front of the canvas trying to explain the symbolism behind the painting and why it looked the way it did.

 

[ArmyMatt]

I dunno if what most folks call modern art is actually art. I think a lot of modern art is just from a bunch of college grads who make stuff to try to sound deep.

but yeah, most of it is weird and uncomfortable, and some can be downright replulsive.

 

[MariaRegina]

Modern art and today's novels are largely trash.

Notice I said "largely," but there are also gems that can be discovered.
One must discern and not toss the gems out with the garbage.

 

[Silentchapel]

ETA: I left out this guy's statement came in the middle of several art critics/ experts standing in front of the canvas trying to explain the symbolism behind the painting and why it looked the way it did.

Everyone Is Jesus in Purgatory - Television Tropes & Idioms

 

[Dorothea]

I haven't thought enough about modern art to critique it's morality or Christian-ness. I find zero "art" value in modern art. It holds no interest or value to me.

I have always felt the same way. Some "art" looks like a monkey did it...but that's even insulting the monkey.

 

[gracefullamb]

Everyone Is Jesus in Purgatory - Television Tropes & Idioms

My Junior year in high school we read Steinbeck's Grapes of Wrath. I recall my teacher trying to explain to us that GofW was Steinbeck's attempt to rewrite the New Testament. I have never had a filter between my brain and my mouth so of course I had to ask "Mrs. H. have your read the New Testament, because there really isn't much in common here."

Roger Kimball touches on the same subject matter for art in his book The Rape of Masters. He points out what art critics have said about 8 paintings. He then points out the absurdity of what the critics had said about these paintings and explains why their thoughts are absurd.

 

[gracefullamb]

I have always felt the same way. Some "art" looks like a monkey did it...but that's even insulting the monkey.

I don't know about a monkey but some modern art has been done by chimps and some by elephants. No joke, they had artwork painted by a chimp, as well as paint footprints of an elephant being auctioned off not long ago, for big money too. Some people clearly have more money than brains.

 

[buzuxi02]

Reminds me the time a friend of mine visited the Guggenheim museum in NYC. There was a piece of 'art', basically a trash can with a bunch of rocks scattered around randomly. He told me he was thinking of pocketing one of the rocks to have as a conversation piece since no one would of missed it. He was afraid of the cameras so the guggenheim rock never made it as his paper weight.

 

[Azureknight 773]

Greetings all, I, a Roman Catholic agrees with you. The designs of antiquity gives us a great view of how awesome churches are, especially if it is done in a Byzantine architechture way. They give convinience and conducivity to worship God. Today, I do say that some of the contemporary arts may be good but it isn't as good as the ancient designs. But however, as long as God resides in that building, then it is fine.

Everyone Is Jesus in Purgatory - Television Tropes & Idioms

What? Wait a minute! That is one of the many tropes from TvTropes dot org! Are you by chance a TvTroper? If so, oh yes! I am not alone! Greetings my fellow TvTroper!

 

[Silentchapel]

What? Wait a minute! That is one of the many tropes from TvTropes dot org! Are you by chance a TvTroper? If so, oh yes! I am not alone! Greetings my fellow TvTroper!

Well... I don't contribute to articles... But I do like to send links from the site to people and watch them spend 3+ hours just because they decided to take a look.

 

[Dorothea]

I don't know about a monkey but some modern art has been done by chimps and some by elephants. No joke, they had artwork painted by a chimp, as well as paint footprints of an elephant being auctioned off not long ago, for big money too. Some people clearly have more money than brains.

Oh, yes, I know about that. . When you can't tell the difference between what an elephant or chimp has painted verses somebody's supposed masterpiece of modern art, that tells a lot. .

 

[Protoevangel]

Oh, yes, I know about that. . When you can't tell the difference between what an elephant or chimp has painted verses somebody's supposed masterpiece of modern art, that tells a lot. .

Exactly!

I saw a piece for sale one time for umpteen hundreds of dollars . It was basically an old board with a boot and a rusty can nailed to it, and some paint seemingly randomly splattered across it. Somehow, that stuck in my mind as the epitome of what modern art is.

 

[Dorothea]

Exactly!

I saw a piece for sale one time for umpteen hundreds of dollars . It was basically an old board with a boot and a rusty can nailed to it, and some paint seemingly randomly splattered across it. Somehow, that stuck in my mind as the epitome of what modern art is.

Yes, it seems the majority of it is pretty tacky. There are only few exceptions, imo.

 

[inconsequential]

I used to write a lot of poetry in the 80s and 90s. Once, as a joke, I wrote a nonsensical poem that was nothing but contradictions arranged with florid language. The Lit majors were gushing about the symbolism and depth. I was so flabbergasted that I never told them it was all bunk but I stopped writing poetry. LOL