20th Century Art

Those who know me well know that I´ve never really thought highly of 20th century art, and in my mean times, what I call "Kindergarten Art" as I think most of us could do the same level of quality in Kindergarten. Funny enough I have always tried to understand it and believe it or not, keep an open mind about it.

After walking around the 4th level of Sofia today, it is starting to make more sense. Normally a few bad apples in anything spoil a whole bunch. With 20th century art, I think it is the other way around. There is a whole barrel full of bad apples but a couple of shinny ones once you wad through it all.

The reason is that today there aren´t ´barriers to entry´. Anyone reading this can buy a bucket of paint, a canvas and start slapping it around. I guess in the past I´ve used the criteria of being able to draw properly first before I will take 20th century artist seriously (hence I love Picasso´s sketches and life drawings but indifferent to most of his other stuff).

Then it occurred to me that we can look at a greek mythology painting and not ´get it´in the same way you could look at a decent modernist painting and not ´get it´´. It is all contextual. If you have someone tell you the story of the greek myth, all of a sudden it can make sense. Similar with 20th century work from someone who has taken it seriously. I still think there are a lot of people out there talking a whole bunch of hot air, but I´m warming to 20th century work of people I feel are ´creditable´.

A commentary today mentioned that in the past pictorial techniques were employed to represent abstract ideas of things that one could recognise, but wasn´t of this world or possible (ie greek myths, religion etc). Abstract art, is funnily enough, better equiped to represent abstract ideas.

Rambling, but the whole 20th century art notion is a ´work in progress´.