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Modern art bytes

2008-06-06

146

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Warning: Rant below
Gary
The other day I got into a discussion about art. I've had this discussion before. It seems that I might be somewhat opinionated on this topic, since I think modern artists are doing to art what script kiddies did to virus writing. So.. let's begin the rant.

Most modern art and abstract art is pointless trash. Now I know that statement might very well piss a lot of people off, but in my opinion, it's true. Let's take a look at some examples and examine why they're trash.

Example 1
Wow. Where to start? As far as I can tell, this expresses nothing. It conveys no message and no feeling. It's peeling paint. As far as I can tell, no skill was required in making this. Does it look cool? Sure, but so does a crumbled potato chip bag, but that doesn't make it art, or does it? To me, art has always been something that had to be done in a conscious manner, not just something you tripped over, or threw up after a hard night at the bar. When changed to writing, this piece would look something like:

SDFAdafdasfFSDFAfasdcadcVBWRTBAvafbghqREHQVasdvaqe qewf asdfasd fasdfsdAFDFAdsfa sfqw$EG WEfv q2t243fr43gq3 TQ#f qq43 FQ4fq432f 2# $R##$Qf 43f34trqwed sgb6yj46j rytj65&J$ j35k748 Ejwhnwrntrsw Does that look interesting? Maybe. Does it communicate anything? No. It does not. I would say that the painting above, is the same.

Example 2
Oh look, it's something to hang on my refrigerator. My two year old sure is proud of it. Luckily for me, once he turns five, he'll want me to remove it. The color choices are relaxed, but all over the board. There's no real composition. A person's eye does nothing but bounce around looking for the close browser button. When changed to writing, this would be something along the lines of:

Look, perty sun. Rays nice. Birdy cute. I wanna cookie. Oooo fish. If the "art" takes no skill at all, and any random infant with no motor skills can replicate it, then it's probably not art.

Example 3
... well... at least the "artist" was able to get off his ass and buy some canvasses. Now if only he could buy some paints and some skill. When changed to writing, it would be:

Example 4
Well, this one at least attempts to show something, if only it wasn't hiddious. The color choice is just wrong, and the skill required to pull this off is the same skill level required to tie one's shoe, or take a dump. If this was changed into writing it would be:

CRAZY INFLATABLE WACKY ARM MAN! It BE Grrrrr-eat! Is it really too much to ask that people have some talent before they call themselves artists?

Growing up, I was always taught that art is a means of communicating to the world or a select group. It's a form of expression to get an idea to others. Those are the base levels, and an artist is supposed to be a master of these abilities. Unfortunately, it seems like more and more people out there are afraid to "limit" art, and artists are too lazy to learn their trade. There are trade skills that can be learned through practice and teaching. Those trade skills allow a person to better portray an image, thought, or idea, and only after mastering those skills should they try and simplify or over complicate those skills through abstract.

Now, looking at my comic, you'll probably say.. "Well look at his junk. He has no skills." I however have never made any claim to be an artist. I've made no claim that the comics are art. They're something I do for the hell of it. I don't get paid to make them, and people don't pay to get them. I have however practiced the trade skills. Below is a sketch I did right before this comic. It was done in pen, took about 30 minutes, and is ok. It's not amazing, it's not all that good, but it's also not art. It's practice work, something I used to do to try and get better. Something I should do again, when I get some free time. I'm adding it here just to show you that I'm not just talking out my ass... like all those other times. It's a cool trick, smells like farts though.

Well.. that ends my rant. Oh.. and those examples were found on the first two pages of a google image search for "modern art".

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