Or is everyone just bulls***ting?

 

I went to an art gallery last night with the girlfriend. She wanted to see some work by her favorite artist, Luke Chueh, and a new artist she has interest in, Juan Muniz.

 

Oh boy, did I learn that I am not cut out for the fine arts world...apparently I was embarrassing her because I thought all the people there were bulls***ters and I thought the pricing on the art was outrageous as well as negotiable. These people were making all these ridiculously nonsensical bs comments about the artists "Ohhh, their personalities are sooo similar...they are both such fun guys...." BLAH BLAH BLAH, fork over your money...

 

Anyways, I think this will be the last time I accompany her to the art gallery.

I stick to Van Gogh. With the modern stuff, I'm convinced that it's all a great big joke that everyone is in on and they all lol about it after you leave.

 

 

If I walked into someone commenting on how profound and deep the above example is, I'd definitely play along to see if I could out-stupid them. Kind of like a staring contest, except the goal is to see how far you can go without erupting in laughter.

 

 

It depends on what it is.

 

Painting is a window to the soul.

Sculpting can be amazing or just insane.

 

Some things are timeless, some are just meant to make you think.

 

I'm not going to pay money for modern art that's too abstract, but if it is thought-provoking and something that I could never do or could have never even thought of, there's an aura of brilliance to it.

 

Question:

 

Do you enjoy the Chicago Picasso?

 

It was considered an eyesore and a waste of money when it was built. Today, it is priceless and a part of Chicago.

 

It's all about perception and time.

I don't know the first thing about art, but I really enjoyed the modern art Smithsonian museum. Some pieces made me think "wft? this isn't 'art'" while others were really impressive.

I don't know the first thing about art, but I really enjoyed the modern art Smithsonian museum. Some pieces made me think "wft? this isn't 'art'" while others were really impressive.

And that's a great reaction...I enjoy art...I do...but what bothers me is that some people think that they know the correct way to speak about it...implying that there is a "right" and a "wrong" way, or perhaps, a "sophisticated" and an "unsophisticated" way.

 

 

Starving artist sales are fun.

Starving artist sales are fun.

Especially if you bring cheeseburgers.

Especially if you bring cheeseburgers.

 

My friend bought a painting from one, and as he was leaving, someone offered him more money than he had paid for it to buy it.

I consider myself to be an expert in picking out quality art of the hardcore pornography variety.

I'm not very educated when it comes to art, and I really can only enjoy realism. My roommate is an art major and makes lots of paintings of abstract stuff, and I just don't understand it. She is pretty good, and the stuff she does is cool, but it doesn't "mean" anything to me. I like anything that actually looks like something real.

The documentary Exit through the gift shop is an interesting look into street art. There is speculation that whether the premise of the movie is mocking people, which I think it is, but basically a guy who called himself Mr. Brainwash made slight variations on all kinds of different famous art work and sold it for insane prices. You get an idea that alot of people who make comments about art are completely talking out of their ass. You like what you like and what someone is willing to pay is its value.

I like oil painting art and a lot of the stuff during the Renaissance era, ever since the 1900's though the big thing has been abstract art and the majority of that I'm not a fan. Even most of Picasso's stuff I just don't find very well done.....

Or is everyone just bulls***ting?

 

I went to an art gallery last night with the girlfriend. She wanted to see some work by her favorite artist, Luke Chueh, and a new artist she has interest in, Juan Muniz.

 

Oh boy, did I learn that I am not cut out for the fine arts world...apparently I was embarrassing her because I thought all the people there were bulls***ters and I thought the pricing on the art was outrageous as well as negotiable. These people were making all these ridiculously nonsensical bs comments about the artists "Ohhh, their personalities are sooo similar...they are both such fun guys...." BLAH BLAH BLAH, fork over your money...

 

Anyways, I think this will be the last time I accompany her to the art gallery.

 

It's mostly bulls*** (the newer/modern stuff, that is)...and here is proof.

 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-49...-paintings.html

 

^^ LOL is all.

Edited February 5, 201214 yr by Y2HH

It's mostly bulls*** (the newer/modern stuff, that is)...and here is proof.

 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-49...-paintings.html

 

^^ LOL is all.

Don't get me wrong...my take on art is if you like it, and it speaks to you, by all means, go for it. I don't have a problem with people enjoying art on their walls. But when people start believing that their opinions are more worthwhile because they "know" art, that's when my bs meter goes into overdrive.

 

Secondly, I was ticked that she wouldn't let me try to negotiate some of the prices. There were a variety of pieces she liked, ranging between $800 and $1200 for the most part. She was having trouble deciding between a few, so I asked her to let me try and negotiate the purchase of one of the $800 pieces and one of the $1200 pieces for a total of $1500. I wasn't going to do this in the middle of the gallery with everyone watching, but in private. I figured the guy might like to sell two paintings rather than just one painting. She was aghast that I would make such a suggestion, because, to try to negotiate a price would be me "belittling the artist's efforts." If I offered less for the painting than it was priced at, then I would be suggesting that his talents were worth less than he believed to be so.

 

I said "welcome to the real world."

 

She was not pleased.

 

She ended up just buying one of the $800 works. Great. But at the end of the exhibition, when the guy still has 6 works that did not sell, perhaps he would have rather had the $1500 instead, and one less work.

 

I guess we'll never know.

Don't get me wrong...my take on art is if you like it, and it speaks to you, by all means, go for it. I don't have a problem with people enjoying art on their walls. But when people start believing that their opinions are more worthwhile because they "know" art, that's when my bs meter goes into overdrive.

 

Secondly, I was ticked that she wouldn't let me try to negotiate some of the prices. There were a variety of pieces she liked, ranging between $800 and $1200 for the most part. She was having trouble deciding between a few, so I asked her to let me try and negotiate the purchase of one of the $800 pieces and one of the $1200 pieces for a total of $1500. I wasn't going to do this in the middle of the gallery with everyone watching, but in private. I figured the guy might like to sell two paintings rather than just one painting. She was aghast that I would make such a suggestion, because, to try to negotiate a price would be me "belittling the artist's efforts." If I offered less for the painting than it was priced at, then I would be suggesting that his talents were worth less than he believed to be so.

 

I said "welcome to the real world."

 

She was not pleased.

 

She ended up just buying one of the $800 works. Great. But at the end of the exhibition, when the guy still has 6 works that did not sell, perhaps he would have rather had the $1500 instead, and one less work.

 

I guess we'll never know.

 

I love the inner trader being omnipresent, offering the guy an art spread.

That made me laugh shack, and it's exactly what I would've done.

 

 

And that's a great reaction...I enjoy art...I do...but what bothers me is that some people think that they know the correct way to speak about it...implying that there is a "right" and a "wrong" way, or perhaps, a "sophisticated" and an "unsophisticated" way.

I'm with you. I like art a lot, and I know a little, but the idea that there is a right/wrong or objective good/bad of any art is laughable. You may be able to see various level of skill in the creation of it, but the enjoyment is entirely personal and subjective.

 

We have stuff up in our house because we like it, and in a lot of cases, because it tells a story or reminds us of a place we went or something important in our lives.

 

I'm in the George Costanza school of thought when it comes to art. I always need it explained to me

I'm with you. I like art a lot, and I know a little, but the idea that there is a right/wrong or objective good/bad of any art is laughable. You may be able to see various level of skill in the creation of it, but the enjoyment is entirely personal and subjective.

 

We have stuff up in our house because we like it, and in a lot of cases, because it tells a story or reminds us of a place we went or something important in our lives.

 

I think with the really abstract stuff you have a point, but for lack of the better word "normal" art there definitely is good/bad and right/wrong.... that maybe a casual person wouldn't notice but someone who lives for art would. Just like movies... some people enjoy bad movies...that's fine and all you like what you like but end of the day it's a s***ty movie.

I think with the really abstract stuff you have a point, but for lack of the better word "normal" art there definitely is good/bad and right/wrong.... that maybe a casual person wouldn't notice but someone who lives for art would. Just like movies... some people enjoy bad movies...that's fine and all you like what you like but end of the day it's a s***ty movie.

I disagree. I think you can make some sort of right/wrong assessments about the skill needed or used to create it, but the exprience is entirely about the beholder. And even the skill arguments aren't as possible as a lot of people state, at least in my view.

 

I disagree. I think you can make some sort of right/wrong assessments about the skill needed or used to create it, but the exprience is entirely about the beholder. And even the skill arguments aren't as possible as a lot of people state, at least in my view.

 

If you're talking about realistic paintings, I think it's easy to make claims on skill. One reason Da Vinci is hailed as such a master was his deep understanding of human anatomy that allowed him to draw and paint the human form more accurately than someone who lacks that knowledge. NOVA recently had an episode dedicated to a piece that may be a "lost" Da Vinci that described some of the skill apparent in the work:

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/tech/mystery-masterpiece.html

 

A couple of examples were eyelashes that were as thin as a human eyelash and not very discernible without magnification and how the eyes were drawn correctly, set higher in the sockets and primarily showing the bottom 1/3 of the eye.

 

You can't ever take away someone's subjective, personal enjoyment of any piece of art, literature, film, photography etc. But you can discuss the various technical and artistic merits of a piece in a somewhat objective way.

If you're talking about realistic paintings, I think it's easy to make claims on skill. One reason Da Vinci is hailed as such a master was his deep understanding of human anatomy that allowed him to draw and paint the human form more accurately than someone who lacks that knowledge. NOVA recently had an episode dedicated to a piece that may be a "lost" Da Vinci that described some of the skill apparent in the work:

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/tech/mystery-masterpiece.html

 

A couple of examples were eyelashes that were as thin as a human eyelash and not very discernible without magnification and how the eyes were drawn correctly, set higher in the sockets and primarily showing the bottom 1/3 of the eye.

 

You can't ever take away someone's subjective, personal enjoyment of any piece of art, literature, film, photography etc. But you can discuss the various technical and artistic merits of a piece in a somewhat objective way.

That's pretty much what I said - you can discuss skills at that level. What is entirely subjective is what the art does for a person, which to me, is the entire point of art.

 

I know it when I see it.

 

And Shack,

 

Thats ridiculous, its like saying that youd be belittling Mercedes because you didnt pay sticker.

 

Simply put the value of art is what the buyer is willing to pay. Id never go to an art gallery though, Im not well liked in the pretentious crowd.

The only thing I know about Art is that I liked him when he sang with Paul Simon.