Is Modern Art the Infantilizing of Western Creativity (Or to Be more Blunt --Is it a Con?)
I'm not sure who originated the following quip: "I can do that (in response to viewing a work of modern art)" for which the proper repartee would be "Yeah, but you didn't". I just finished reading a provocative article in Huffingtonpost.com entitled: "Here's Why You Should Stop Saying 'I Could Do That' About Art". Not only was I not persuaded by the author's points, but the whole subject kind of got me mad.
It is indeed true that some forms of human creativity require a prerequisite knowledge in order to enjoy the craftsmanship of what's being listened to or observed. After all, what value would Shakespeare or Toni Morrison have to someone who had never left the isolated island he grew up on and had thus never even heard of such a tool as "reading"?
Several weeks ago, my sister and I spent a quiet afternoon viewing the works of art in a modern museum, which will remain nameless. We were alone in the galleries, while everyone else in this architecturally stunning museum either sat in the cafe, chatting with friends and associates over well-brewed coffee and finger sandwiches or browsed in the gift shop. I was transfixed by several works. But I would have to admit that overall the critics of the art critics are right.
Maybe not a toddler, but certainly a middle schooler, could conceive and execute much of the art exhibited on the walls of this museum. As for why they don't, the reason isn't that it's harder than it looks. It is rather that in Western culture, the creative impulse is stomped out of children after kindergarten. The making of a disciplined work force becomes the top priority of formal education. The creative talents of an entire society are suppressed, while only a trickle of students have the stubbornness and fortitude to defy everyone's expectations. Yes, stubbornness and fortitude should be rewarded. But here's the thing. Most members of this outlier group will also be shoved aside in time, as a different type of winnowing process occurs at the level of art critics and galleries. Those either with connections, or sheer "trump'smanship" will be embraced by the critics who give value to art.
It is indeed true that some forms of human creativity require a prerequisite knowledge in order to enjoy the craftsmanship of what's being listened to or observed. After all, what value would Shakespeare or Toni Morrison have to someone who had never left the isolated island he grew up on and had thus never even heard of such a tool as "reading"?
Several weeks ago, my sister and I spent a quiet afternoon viewing the works of art in a modern museum, which will remain nameless. We were alone in the galleries, while everyone else in this architecturally stunning museum either sat in the cafe, chatting with friends and associates over well-brewed coffee and finger sandwiches or browsed in the gift shop. I was transfixed by several works. But I would have to admit that overall the critics of the art critics are right.
Maybe not a toddler, but certainly a middle schooler, could conceive and execute much of the art exhibited on the walls of this museum. As for why they don't, the reason isn't that it's harder than it looks. It is rather that in Western culture, the creative impulse is stomped out of children after kindergarten. The making of a disciplined work force becomes the top priority of formal education. The creative talents of an entire society are suppressed, while only a trickle of students have the stubbornness and fortitude to defy everyone's expectations. Yes, stubbornness and fortitude should be rewarded. But here's the thing. Most members of this outlier group will also be shoved aside in time, as a different type of winnowing process occurs at the level of art critics and galleries. Those either with connections, or sheer "trump'smanship" will be embraced by the critics who give value to art.
I'm not saying that everyone could produce a Picasso. But what I am saying is this. Rather than costing $50 million, it would probably sell for $1500, to distinguish this man's artist genius from what the rest of us might create and at least in our youth have had our beloved mothers tape to the refrigerator door. If our educational system nurtured the creativity in all students rather than trampling on it like ridding itself of an annoying insect, then the rest of us wouldn't grow up to be so cut off from the art that flows through every human's soul. It is that loss, that suppurating wound that propels us to project our own creative yearnings on to those identified by the art critics as the appropriate recipients.
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