Art for Art's Sake


My real interest is art.  Visual Art.  

And for me, visual art is about the joy of seeing.  That joy (or excitement) can be expressed by what we think of as realism, or by other means.  But once an artist has to explain the art, watch out.  




The next two images come from a show at MOMA.  While I believe the creator is serious, what she is doing is not visual art.  It may be performance art but it has little real value beyond giving writers something to write about.

 If you want to find out just who and what the show was about, Google MOMA NAKED LADY.



The triumph of American Painting in the mid 1940s through 1960 was the product of critics.  They were useful tools, but became quickly bored and so moved on to each now idea - and the interplay of artistic ideas with criticism and feedback from the critics delivered privately warped the art world.  Universities also changed the way artists earn money.  So instead of making things for persons, they began to seek critical approval, insitutional support and so on.  

 The current world of contemporary painting is both alive with new work, and remote from real people.  In 1960 the average educated adult knew at least about Pollock and a few year later about Warhol.  Now the average adult knows virtually nothing of artists. 

We will have to wait for a rebirth. 

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