I disagree, I would not call contemporary artists idiots just because they aren’t painting classical style or atleast technical paintings. Art can make you think and The Fountain certainly does that. It offends and it shocks with its obscene nature, and bewilders why someone would do that. Not to mention Duchamp didn’t even make the urinal himself. But you have to consider the time all these radical art pieces were “made” or found even. The Fountain is a reference to mass production. Machines make works of art and designs perfectly, yes through the order of humans but machines are making these.
Anyways this is a discussion for a thread on its own, I’m just uppidy about this because I am taking a modern art history class.
To offend, shock, and cause bewilderment are not the essential functions of any art, so far as I know, save perhaps the production of some Horror films. It is treacherous trying to say exactly what art is, but my criteria include the express conception of the work. A dead shark isn’t art, nor is its predecessor the signed urinal. I do appreciate certain works by Duchamp, like his paintings. I don’t know what the shark is, but the urinal of Duchamp is better understood as an act of criticism. And at least Duchamp wasn’t a product of the contemporary post-modern zeitgeist, which is to say, no geist at all.
With the urinal, Duchamp was making the statement that there is beauty if machine made objects and that you don’t have to look any further nor make any more art. I agree that it is a criticism, and Duchamp did not care much for his art anyways. It had a concept though, or rather it proposed a concept through observing and thinking about it.
Everyone has their own subjective view on art, and it gets more complex as you get these perspectives from actual artists as opposed to people who view it as mear entertainment so it’s fair for you to say you do not consider it art.
And I have no idea what dead shark you are referencing. Sounds vaguely familiar…
The Fountain did all that in a novel way, 80 years ago. Mind the “novel” part. There are so many formulaic installations that strive to convey an idea without consideration for aesthetics that it’s not funny. Of course there are contemporary works of art that I like; I have no reason to rant about those I always visit museums of modern art when I go to other countries.
The dead shark is something masquerading as art contrived by the odious Damien Hirst of England, of the so-called “Young British Artists” movement (worst name for a movement ever, by the way).
I was supposed to go to an Oscars party that night (basically an excuse for the girls to dress up, eat good food and gossip), but I’ve been sick since before that weekend. I even had a cool recipe to try. :\
I always visit museums of modern art when I go to other countries.