4 ms·

The "I don't like it, therefore it's crap" rude comments are so disappointing. I'm no art buff at all, my personal definition of art is "useless & captivating".

by ttapp 4y ago

The "I don't like it, therefore it's crap" rude comments are so disappointing. I'm no art buff at all, my personal definition of art is "useless & captivating". I'd like to visit this one. The creator must be obsessed and crazy, which is like it should be. I expect it to give otherworldly, abstract melancholic vibes when being on-site. Case in point, during the years I lived in Mexico City, I went several times to the Teotihuacan site, a great experience when there are few visitors: https://cdn.kastatic.org/ka-perseus-images/9c44c543a72dbe1873981b344a79cc504313fdbb.jpg https://cdn.kastatic.org/ka-perseus-images/9c44c543a72dbe187...

rikroots 4y ago
I felt this way too. This structure is a single artist's vision, made solid over the course of 50 years. I can't get a feeling/reaction from it just by looking at photos but, maybe give the chance to visit, I expect I'd be able to prod the artist's vision, see if it resonates with me. Then again, I can get joy/awe/wonder/ennui/whatever from wandering around abandoned villages, ancient ruins (even the partly reconstructed ones), cemeteries, woods, wastelands, abandoned infrastructure, etc. Or even working places/venues, but at times of least activity. The key thing, for me, is that there must be few/no people around me - to let my mind unleash itself from the trivia and go roaming - that, for me, is when the 'art' (whatever 'art' is) happens. I could get jealous of the financial support the artist has received over the years as he strives to make his vision solid. But I have a suspicion that he would probably built something even without support. It reminds me of Outsider Art in that way: people driven to create despite the barriers others put in their way. That such people exist gives me hope for the species. I spent my 40th birthday wandering around Uxmal. No crowds; no tourists coached in on the hour. Just me and my partner and a collapsed civilisation surrounding us. Best birthday I've ever had! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uxmal https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uxmal
veltas 4y ago
Respectfully, and not to start an argument, but I think you don't need to defend the artist or say people shouldn't comment if they want to criticise. I don't think artists who do this stuff care if people think it's pointless or bad. That other people can enjoy it at all is something. Artists who created things this big aren't overly sensitive people, if they were they would have stopped decades back, after the first thousand people said it was an expensive waste of time. So I think people should be honest and say if they think it's crap. And the artist may get a kick out of it, or not care. Likewise don't say nice things about it if you think it's crap, just be honest.
- sudden_dystopia 4y ago
  Thank you for putting this to words. It is not art unless it is open for criticism. That’s kind of the whole point. An artist is vulnerable->releases new work into the world->it passes through the filter of criticism->work is determine to be beautiful art or crap. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but at scale, beauty is in the eyes of the masses.
sudden_dystopia 4y ago
How does the “I don’t like it, therefore it’s crap” differ from “I like it, therefore it’s amazing”. They are both opinions. You may think that the critical opinion is “rude”, but conversely, I may think the glowing opinion is ignorant or quaint. Critics have been panning art for millennia or has all criticism been fully cancelled now? This guy was surely obsessed and crazy, which I wholeheartedly respect. But it’s simply not that impressive for 50 years of work. Personally, I don’t think it’s crap or amazing, I just think it’s disappointing and I feel bad this guy wasted his time. Consider what Egyptians built in the desert at least 5 thousand of years earlier with much less tools. Now that is an art installation. Granted, they had an army of builders, but still, the access to better tools and concrete should still allow 1 guy to do something more epic than what he did here. Further, the much more recent coral castle I find to be more impressive and that was also 1 guy and it only took him 30 years.
TaupeRanger 4y ago
Why "useless"? In my view, art that inspires meaningful thoughts and feelings that the viewer might never have otherwise experienced is more "useful" than 90% of jobs that exist in, say, the tech industry.
wyck 4y ago
To be frank it's a barometer for intelligence when people comment on art, and the "I don't like it, therefore it's crap" is pretty low on the bar.
- Flankk 4y ago
  Which is much different than the "I don't like their opinion, therefore they're stupid" barometer you use.
  - wyck 4y ago
    Don't project, I did not say that. Everyone is on a learning curve.
    - Flankk 4y ago
      That's exactly what you said. Go gaslight someone else.

by ttapp 4y ago

rikroots 4y ago

I felt this way too. This structure is a single artist's vision, made solid over the course of 50 years. I can't get a feeling/reaction from it just by looking at photos but, maybe give the chance to visit, I expect I'd be able to prod the artist's vision, see if it resonates with me. Then again, I can get joy/awe/wonder/ennui/whatever from wandering around abandoned villages, ancient ruins (even the partly reconstructed ones), cemeteries, woods, wastelands, abandoned infrastructure, etc. Or even working places/venues, but at times of least activity. The key thing, for me, is that there must be few/no people around me - to let my mind unleash itself from the trivia and go roaming - that, for me, is when the 'art' (whatever 'art' is) happens. I could get jealous of the financial support the artist has received over the years as he strives to make his vision solid. But I have a suspicion that he would probably built something even without support. It reminds me of Outsider Art in that way: people driven to create despite the barriers others put in their way. That such people exist gives me hope for the species. I spent my 40th birthday wandering around Uxmal. No crowds; no tourists coached in on the hour. Just me and my partner and a collapsed civilisation surrounding us. Best birthday I've ever had! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uxmal https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uxmal

veltas 4y ago

Respectfully, and not to start an argument, but I think you don't need to defend the artist or say people shouldn't comment if they want to criticise. I don't think artists who do this stuff care if people think it's pointless or bad. That other people can enjoy it at all is something. Artists who created things this big aren't overly sensitive people, if they were they would have stopped decades back, after the first thousand people said it was an expensive waste of time. So I think people should be honest and say if they think it's crap. And the artist may get a kick out of it, or not care. Likewise don't say nice things about it if you think it's crap, just be honest.

sudden_dystopia 4y ago
Thank you for putting this to words. It is not art unless it is open for criticism. That’s kind of the whole point. An artist is vulnerable->releases new work into the world->it passes through the filter of criticism->work is determine to be beautiful art or crap. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but at scale, beauty is in the eyes of the masses.

sudden_dystopia 4y ago

How does the “I don’t like it, therefore it’s crap” differ from “I like it, therefore it’s amazing”. They are both opinions. You may think that the critical opinion is “rude”, but conversely, I may think the glowing opinion is ignorant or quaint. Critics have been panning art for millennia or has all criticism been fully cancelled now? This guy was surely obsessed and crazy, which I wholeheartedly respect. But it’s simply not that impressive for 50 years of work. Personally, I don’t think it’s crap or amazing, I just think it’s disappointing and I feel bad this guy wasted his time. Consider what Egyptians built in the desert at least 5 thousand of years earlier with much less tools. Now that is an art installation. Granted, they had an army of builders, but still, the access to better tools and concrete should still allow 1 guy to do something more epic than what he did here. Further, the much more recent coral castle I find to be more impressive and that was also 1 guy and it only took him 30 years.

TaupeRanger 4y ago

Why "useless"? In my view, art that inspires meaningful thoughts and feelings that the viewer might never have otherwise experienced is more "useful" than 90% of jobs that exist in, say, the tech industry.

wyck 4y ago

To be frank it's a barometer for intelligence when people comment on art, and the "I don't like it, therefore it's crap" is pretty low on the bar.

Flankk 4y ago
Which is much different than the "I don't like their opinion, therefore they're stupid" barometer you use.
- wyck 4y ago
  Don't project, I did not say that. Everyone is on a learning curve.
  - Flankk 4y ago
    That's exactly what you said. Go gaslight someone else.