Shameful Art
“Art is a reflection of society”, if this is true, society is very sick…..
Judging for the majority of works showed in this year’s edition of the Armory Show
Modern, New York 2009, is a sample of the lack of mental health of our society.
“ART, in its most basic meaning signifies a skill or ability…….. One who has
acquired a skill may be designated an artist or artisan according to whether his
abilities art directed principally toward a utilitarian or an aesthetic purpose. While
art continues to be associated with basic skills (e,g,, the art of gardening, the art
of warfare ), the term more generally carries the connotation of non utilitarian
activities…..
The term fine arts is a translation of the French “ beaux – arts”, meaning the arts
concerned only with beauty.” *1
All trough out history “ Art” was synonymous of beauty and excellent execution
giving the work and specially the public a lot of respect trying to generate a
positive emotion or feeling sometimes close to the sublime trough the search of
aesthetics in the best sense of the word.
Towards the beginning of the XX century art movements like German
expressionism started to work on a different kind of aesthetics that influenced
most of the artistic movements of the period.
Les Demoiselles d’Avignon of Pablo Picasso was maybe the most recognizable
example of the beauty of the ugly.
What was shown in this version of the armory Show Modern is a sample of the
disability of the majority of works presented with the complicity of the gallery
owners and the so called curators that so much harm have done to art.
It is really shameful to the degree that we have reached in considering anything
“Art”.
Is the aesthetics of the unpleasant and violence and specially lack of respect for
the spectator……..Works without any technique or beauty shocking in the best
sense of the word to say the least.
“How, as a culture we got ourselves into a mindset in whereby beauty is suspect
and elegance seems a weakness?.” *2
It is sad to visit these events in which supposedly human qualities should be
exalted in our capacity to produce “Art” our ability to make quality objects that is
what finally differentiate us from the rest of the animals and show this waste of
mockery as an example of lack of talent.
I feel ashamed and refuse to believe that we have lost the capacity to admire and
extol the abilities of mankind.
But all and all what seem more worrisome to me is not that this kind of works are
showed but the great acceptance that this trend has in the spectators, movement
which finality is to produce disgust, unpleasantness and vulgarity.
The most heard comment was: “Cool”……….. Sad, isn’t it?
*1 Encyclopedia Britannica, vol. 2 pg. 484
*2 Michael Kimmelman, The New York Times, Weekend Arts, Blasts of colors
evoking memories, Feb 16 2007.
“Art is a reflection of society”, if this is true, society is very sick…..
Judging for the majority of works showed in this year’s edition of the Armory Show
Modern, New York 2009, is a sample of the lack of mental health of our society.
“ART, in its most basic meaning signifies a skill or ability…….. One who has
acquired a skill may be designated an artist or artisan according to whether his
abilities art directed principally toward a utilitarian or an aesthetic purpose. While
art continues to be associated with basic skills (e,g,, the art of gardening, the art
of warfare ), the term more generally carries the connotation of non utilitarian
activities…..
The term fine arts is a translation of the French “ beaux – arts”, meaning the arts
concerned only with beauty.” *1
All trough out history “ Art” was synonymous of beauty and excellent execution
giving the work and specially the public a lot of respect trying to generate a
positive emotion or feeling sometimes close to the sublime trough the search of
aesthetics in the best sense of the word.
Towards the beginning of the XX century art movements like German
expressionism started to work on a different kind of aesthetics that influenced
most of the artistic movements of the period.
Les Demoiselles d’Avignon of Pablo Picasso was maybe the most recognizable
example of the beauty of the ugly.
What was shown in this version of the armory Show Modern is a sample of the
disability of the majority of works presented with the complicity of the gallery
owners and the so called curators that so much harm have done to art.
It is really shameful to the degree that we have reached in considering anything
“Art”.
Is the aesthetics of the unpleasant and violence and specially lack of respect for
the spectator……..Works without any technique or beauty shocking in the best
sense of the word to say the least.
“How, as a culture we got ourselves into a mindset in whereby beauty is suspect
and elegance seems a weakness?.” *2
It is sad to visit these events in which supposedly human qualities should be
exalted in our capacity to produce “Art” our ability to make quality objects that is
what finally differentiate us from the rest of the animals and show this waste of
mockery as an example of lack of talent.
I feel ashamed and refuse to believe that we have lost the capacity to admire and
extol the abilities of mankind.
But all and all what seem more worrisome to me is not that this kind of works are
showed but the great acceptance that this trend has in the spectators, movement
which finality is to produce disgust, unpleasantness and vulgarity.
The most heard comment was: “Cool”……….. Sad, isn’t it?
*1 Encyclopedia Britannica, vol. 2 pg. 484
*2 Michael Kimmelman, The New York Times, Weekend Arts, Blasts of colors
evoking memories, Feb 16 2007.
