Modern art, as I understand it, is there to make you think about the world in a way that you wouldn't normally, and to view every day things which you may not notice on a daily basis through different lenses.
In this post I've included a piece by Richard Serra. A lot of people say "it's a bit of rusty metal against a wall, what is there to get?" but this is a piece about balance and equilibrium. When you see it you have several different feelings about it. Perhaps it is a metaphor for balance in life.
I see the point of modern art, I know its aims and all of that stuff. What I don't like is the way in which artists try to meet their aims. Surely modern artists would like for their work to be as accessible as possible and something that enlightens as many people as it can? My point is, there are easier ways to make a point about balance than putting a sheet of metal against a wall. To me it seems like a very half-assed way of making a point and invoking an emotion.
If I really really wanted to make a point about balance, I would write something. Maybe to make it even more understandable, I would do diagrams in a scientific fashion. I would explain my intentions and point clearly.
I'd like to state that I'm not saying modern art should be "dumbed down". There are ways of making things obvious and understandable without compromising the beauty and artistic nature of it. Just look at poetry and prose. It can be very descriptive and clear and still very beautiful. To me, this image looks like it's been taken out of a book with no context given. Without any kind of context, it's rather frustrating to try and second-guess what the artist is trying to say. If I took a diagram out of a science book, would you enjoy trying to figure out what kind of diagram it was and what it meant? I certainly wouldn't. It could be illustrating something brilliant like the formation of a supernova, but I would have no idea and it would be lost on me.
What gets my goat the most is being called ignorant for not instantly understanding a piece of modern art. It's not my fault if I don't get the 'point' of the piece, it's the artist's fault for not making it more accessible and understandable. I feel like when interpreting a piece of modern art I'm trying to fill in the blanks. It's like reading a poem where half of the words have been taken out at random and I need to guess what has been taken out.
And sure, maybe some people would enjoy looking at a diagram and trying to work out what it means, or trying to fill in the blanks of a poem. However it feels like those people are doing all the artist's work for them.
My last point is this. I know that some pieces don't have a specific "point" to make, they are just there to invoke emotion. However when a piece is so simple that the physical act of creating the piece isn't admirable at all and the emotion it invokes is the main attraction, especially when the emotion is not clear and you have to kind of "make it up" in your head, I do stop and wonder if it's worth the hassle.
I don't need that piece of metal against a wall to think about balance, I could just go outside and look around. There are plenty of things leaning against my walls in my house. Or maybe I could just, you know... think about balance. I don't need to see it in front of my eyes to have the same emotion.
What I like about traditional art is that it gives you a LITERAL view of something you've never seen before. I've seen a rusty bit of metal balancing against a wall before. I can understand that other people find that piece interesting but I personally don't. I'm sorry if that puts a bee in your bonnet. Not everyone can like the same thing as you.
To any fan of modern art who's angry, distressed or upset upon reading this (or any post by someone who they feel doesn't "get" modern art), I'd like to point out one thing. I'm a heavy metal music fan, and constantly get criticism from others that heavy metal is "just noise". Yet you don't see me writing tumblr posts about how ignorant everyone else is for not liking heavy metal. Unlike you, I accept that people have differing opinions to me and that doesn't make them ignorant. Not everyone enjoys heavy metal, or modern art. GET OVER IT.
