Dust and I went to the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art. I usually find it hard to control my laughter when I am at any art museum. Another aspect of my humor is laughing at bare bottoms. When I see a naked butt I laugh. There was this big brass butt sculpture that looked like a bird bath. It had 3 legs coming out with 2 of them wearing red heels. I saw a lot of rears and some breasts. There was an arrangement of toys on a rug next to a tall plastic wrap looking Godzilla. Because I am interested in toys, I studied most of them. There was a naked anotomically correct boy baby doll. I had not seen a boy doll like that before. The Ken doll never had privates. He was flat in the front. I tried not to laugh because the security lady kept watching us. That really made me nervous. I can't enjoy myself when someone is watching my every move. There were too many security guards in that small museum.
There was a decorated platform looking thing with pillows on it. I assumed it was art and I wasn't supposed to sit down on it. If someone wasn't paying attention they could accidentally walk on it. Art can be anywhere so you really have to be observant.
It bothers me when I see a picture that looks like a kindergartner drew it. How is that art? I could do that. There was an arrangement of photos with an annoying white strip in each one. It looks like someone had problems with their camera. I know I shouldn't criticize the art. Maybe it is because I don't understand it. I know I should respect it, but it's really hard.
11 comments:
Remember, Art can be dangerous.
Whenever, I see something on display and I think "I could do that, what's so great about that", I hear this still small voice saying "but you are not doing that."
...maybe I should try.
I know this is dangerous ground, but I'll tread. :)
The question as to whether something is considered art seems to me to be more related to whether the art community accepts it as art than anything else.
I believe that if I had a name at all and I took some out of focus pictures and called them my "Confusion" series I'd bet a large percentage of people would consider it art. This would especially be the case if you could almost, but not quite, make out what the picture was of.
Also, don't get me wrong. I enjoy even non-conventional art. I don't mind letting my boundaries of reality being stretched a bit. I do think that some of it is a more a practical joke than something to be taken seriously, though.
N can't hear the word but without laughing. In my mind I hear her talking like Beavis and ButtHead saying "eh huhhuh huhhuh uhh .. he said but ..huhhuh ~But~...."
Yeah, my boys are at the laughing stage every time they hear the word "butt". Being the literalists that they are (inherited from their father), if I am talking to someone and say "but," and pause, they burst out in a roar of laughter!
Unfortunately, the part in Shark Tale where the henchman plays the "I like big butts, and I cannot lie" segment, DOES NOT HELP in teaching modesty and manners to TWO BOYS! =D
As far as art goes, I would love someone to look at my oldest son's work...I know he can do an incredible job and you can see/understand what his art is about! LOL!
I think of my dad as one of those people who have never come to terms with art. He is trying to make sense of art because he doesn't "get it" and is trying to make it definable for his left brained mind.
To him, it always seemed to be a competition of skill level and when confronted with a really simple painting with colors he would always say that I could do something better than that. To which I would reply, "but I haven't."
He sees the simplicity of the idea and maybe execution, but fails to recognize the beauty of the color, the careful placement of the colors, maybe the deep feelings that those colors evoke, the ideas of the colors,etc. Honestly, it is not as easy as it appears. I have always believed that there is something to be said of art, song, design, buildings which seem to flow effortlessly.
Dust,
Taking pictures out of focus sounds really beautiful and can be very elegant. I think by calling it "confusion" seems to take away or give you an excuse for your photos being fuzzy-I know your trying to be funny. But hey, if they look good and you put them on your wall, I would call them art. Maybe, it would do better to have a name for yourself, because you probably have proven your ability to take a great shot. Being out of focus is just the effect, so if you don't take good pictures now, your out of focus pictures would probably be no good either.
My other theory is that you got to learn the basics and principles before you can abstract them. (as a general rule.)
"My other theory is that you got to learn the basics and principles before you can abstract them."
Yeah, I think that is the issue. It's easy to see a bunch of pictures that look like a three year old took and assume that the person is simply trying to pass off a bad roll of film as art.
I do suspect that there are people who pass off a bad roll of film as art, though, because it doesn't appear to be that hard to do.
I am being a little facetious about the "Confusion" series, but the idea would only be confusion for the people who cannot see the greater depth that is to be found in my photo collection. That mystery, plus the beauty that I would be sure the series contained would make it easy to call art. I am sure it would actually be art.
It can be a little hard for a logical or technical brain to conceptualize because if someone writes a simple program or one that doesn't work at all, that person not a good programmer. A person can know very little about art and create what might be considered a masterpiece by some simply because of the subjective nature of it. No matter what the piece, you can always find some reason why it is a spectacular work of art. Since the nature of art is subjective, I do think that should allow me to subjectively write a piece of art off as of the same quality as a hoax on occasion. You don't have to agree, though. :)
Ahh! That explains Thomas Kincaid.
I agree being that art is subjective gives everyone their right to praise or dis art. I wouldn't mind being on the other end of the emperor's new clothes sometime.
It is one of those things that is very personal that you know it when you see it. Or it could be an image or icon that you love -doors, hands, butts:)
I aslo believe that one has to educate themselve to better understand art and looking at art. I mean this in the same way we were educated about literature in school and having to analyze characters and symbolism and then write a paper about it.
Also, I think hoax, humor, irony is very much alive and well in the post-modern art world. The idea that you can pile rubbish in the middle of the room and then have people take it serious may be the process that the artist was trying to create.
But dont get me wrong, a lot of these artist are serious when they put barbie heads in baby food jars. (I went to school with them) I hated it. I thought it was too cliche, too much of a look at me, I am arty.
I believe some of the best artist have both the logic and the creativity. It is a balance of left and right brain. (but again that is a generality and not always the case.) I hold the right to contradict myself, because we are talking about art.
N and C are artistic and creative. I am amazed that they came from me! But Dash's dad is very good at painting and my sister has always been good at drawing. It's interesting. N and C have already decided that she's better at people and he's better at stuff.
I actually had her draw a coloring page for me last year for one of the mops lessons I wrote. She did great! She had a boat in the middle of the sea with Jesus on the top of it and she wrote "Stop Be Still" across it. I love that picture! (Of course, she did what I told her to draw, so having some input in it and working colaborately was a lot of fun too!)
I think modern art particularly opens itself up for laughs, not being taken as seriously, and as "I could do that." I never look at a Ruebens painting and think I could do that. It's interesting to see people's various ideas though.
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