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I've been in relationships with two artists who were both very opinionated on this topic and we had long (and pleasant) discussions. I am not sure they would ag

I've been in relationships with two artists who were both very opinionated on this topic and we had long (and pleasant) discussions. I am not sure they would agree with me but this is the take that I have: Art "works" for you if it makes you feel something. That's all. It can be joy, melancholy, curiosity or it might even be repulsive to you. Do you like The Big Lebowski? I remember seeing this question on Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/f5hvt/what_do_so_many_people_find_enjoyable_in_the_big/ https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/f5hvt/what_do_so... -- the person wants to understand it. But to me like many, I am sure, it's clear that there is not really something deep to understand. Either you enjoy it as a funny movie, or it does nothing for you. The type of art that most of us appreciate without trying to "understand" is music. It can evoke a spectrum of feelings and a lot of it just doesn't. Most people don't have issues with this the way they do with "modern art". So if you see an abstract painting and you feel nothing, probably just let it go. Don't try and decipher it.

martopix 7y ago
I think this is precisely the issue. A lot of contemporary art not only "means" nothing to a lot of people, but also "feels" like nothing to a lot of people. The problem I have with that kind of art is not it being non-beautiful or non-interpretable. It's just that it doesn't make me feel anything. Music does. Photography does. Cinema does. Some art certainly does, but a lot of it doesn't.
- itronitron 7y ago
  I think this is why 'Street Art' is gaining momentum, it's accessible, part of people's everyday environment, and doesn't need to be mediated by a collector, curator, or museum.
  - Melting_Harps 7y ago
    > I think this is why 'Street Art' is gaining momentum That's hard thing to say, I mean graffiti has been a cultural ingrained thing in popular media since at least the 80s. Its competitive subculture took to 'bombing' as turf wars and one-uping for street cred since I was a kid in the 90s. And then you look at places like Berlin, London or Bristol all with DEEP underground music cultures and its hard to envision a time without that street art. With that said, I wish I had spent more time in Modena, I only had 1/2 a day off when I lived there, as one of the things I really enjoyed doing with my gf at the time was go look for these type of murals in the back alleys and abandoned buildings. Here are some examples of the those that I saw while out for aperativo and a stroll around town https://duckduckgo.com/?q=modena+street+art&t=lm&iax=images&ia=images https://duckduckgo.com/?q=modena+street+art&t=lm&iax=images&... It's a lot sketchier during the night, which is normally when we were off, but it was like an Easter Egg hunt (on a bike) I used to do for first time guests in my hometown where large Surf or Ocean based murals were commissioned by local artists and sanctioned by the municipality and local business owners, they served as cultural icons all throughout out town--many of them were actually not easily visible unless you actually went looking for them. > satoshi Funny, you should mention that; several Bitcoin street artists have actually been paid by observers in Bitcoin for their art throughout the years, here is just one example: https://bitcoinist.com/street-artistincorporating-bitcoin-qr-code-artwork/ https://bitcoinist.com/street-artistincorporating-bitcoin-qr... I'm sure this is how a Banksy should actually be validated, rather than being a 'social status' vanity piece hanging in someones living room.
- billfruit 7y ago
  May be the important aspect of modern art, is what a poster above mentioned, they are intricate puzzles, in a way that music or photography is rarely is.
  - martopix 7y ago
    Another poster says that people shouldn't try to find interpretations, but just feelings, like for music. This is what I was responding to. If they're puzzles it's a different assumption.
yostrovs 7y ago
There's really two art worlds the way I see it. One is real, the other is pseudo academic. You can like and not like whatever you want, but there's a world of dealers, critics, promoters, and others that actually control the museums, galleries, etc. They, the pseudo academics, believe in a certain objectivity regarding art and they decide who is a genius and who is not. Because they don't use feelings, they are objective! Supposedly. And it's their fault that true artists work at coffee shops while Koontz and others collect the money. And I tried to understand their standards and how they gauge modern art and my conclusion is that the artist must be cool, sociable, kind of weird, and productive in the sense of producing many pieces regularly. As far as content and quality, random guess is as good as any.
- brazzy 7y ago
  There are actually three worlds, and of course they're all real, and all intertwined. First, what you call "real", obviously because you don't understand or like the other two, is popular art. The defining characteristic is that it can be enjoyed directly without much context or explanation. The second is, well let's call it academic art. It's not actually confined to universities, but the defining feature is that it is at least partially based on thinking about art, and usually challenges some of the unspoken assumptions underpinning popular art and often requires context to understand. Museums show this kind of art. The third is the "art scene". The defining characteristic is that it's driven by collectors willing to sometimes pay outrageous prices for various reasons. Galleries and dealers mostly cater to this world, and this is where "star artists" are born.

martopix 7y ago

I think this is precisely the issue. A lot of contemporary art not only "means" nothing to a lot of people, but also "feels" like nothing to a lot of people. The problem I have with that kind of art is not it being non-beautiful or non-interpretable. It's just that it doesn't make me feel anything. Music does. Photography does. Cinema does. Some art certainly does, but a lot of it doesn't.

itronitron 7y ago
I think this is why 'Street Art' is gaining momentum, it's accessible, part of people's everyday environment, and doesn't need to be mediated by a collector, curator, or museum.
- Melting_Harps 7y ago
  > I think this is why 'Street Art' is gaining momentum That's hard thing to say, I mean graffiti has been a cultural ingrained thing in popular media since at least the 80s. Its competitive subculture took to 'bombing' as turf wars and one-uping for street cred since I was a kid in the 90s. And then you look at places like Berlin, London or Bristol all with DEEP underground music cultures and its hard to envision a time without that street art. With that said, I wish I had spent more time in Modena, I only had 1/2 a day off when I lived there, as one of the things I really enjoyed doing with my gf at the time was go look for these type of murals in the back alleys and abandoned buildings. Here are some examples of the those that I saw while out for aperativo and a stroll around town https://duckduckgo.com/?q=modena+street+art&t=lm&iax=images&ia=images https://duckduckgo.com/?q=modena+street+art&t=lm&iax=images&... It's a lot sketchier during the night, which is normally when we were off, but it was like an Easter Egg hunt (on a bike) I used to do for first time guests in my hometown where large Surf or Ocean based murals were commissioned by local artists and sanctioned by the municipality and local business owners, they served as cultural icons all throughout out town--many of them were actually not easily visible unless you actually went looking for them. > satoshi Funny, you should mention that; several Bitcoin street artists have actually been paid by observers in Bitcoin for their art throughout the years, here is just one example: https://bitcoinist.com/street-artistincorporating-bitcoin-qr-code-artwork/ https://bitcoinist.com/street-artistincorporating-bitcoin-qr... I'm sure this is how a Banksy should actually be validated, rather than being a 'social status' vanity piece hanging in someones living room.
billfruit 7y ago
May be the important aspect of modern art, is what a poster above mentioned, they are intricate puzzles, in a way that music or photography is rarely is.
- martopix 7y ago
  Another poster says that people shouldn't try to find interpretations, but just feelings, like for music. This is what I was responding to. If they're puzzles it's a different assumption.

yostrovs 7y ago

There's really two art worlds the way I see it. One is real, the other is pseudo academic. You can like and not like whatever you want, but there's a world of dealers, critics, promoters, and others that actually control the museums, galleries, etc. They, the pseudo academics, believe in a certain objectivity regarding art and they decide who is a genius and who is not. Because they don't use feelings, they are objective! Supposedly. And it's their fault that true artists work at coffee shops while Koontz and others collect the money. And I tried to understand their standards and how they gauge modern art and my conclusion is that the artist must be cool, sociable, kind of weird, and productive in the sense of producing many pieces regularly. As far as content and quality, random guess is as good as any.

brazzy 7y ago
There are actually three worlds, and of course they're all real, and all intertwined. First, what you call "real", obviously because you don't understand or like the other two, is popular art. The defining characteristic is that it can be enjoyed directly without much context or explanation. The second is, well let's call it academic art. It's not actually confined to universities, but the defining feature is that it is at least partially based on thinking about art, and usually challenges some of the unspoken assumptions underpinning popular art and often requires context to understand. Museums show this kind of art. The third is the "art scene". The defining characteristic is that it's driven by collectors willing to sometimes pay outrageous prices for various reasons. Galleries and dealers mostly cater to this world, and this is where "star artists" are born.