I often hear people say that the quality of art has gone downhill. They complain that their five-year-old children could draw better than the pieces hung up in modern art museums.
However, there is meaning and intention behind the small details, misidentified as meaningless splotches, that form contemporary art. Contemporary art does not have to look like a specific object or be realistic to have meaning, and splotches of paint can be just as purposeful as the “Mona Lisa.”
“City Landscape,” a painting by Joan Mitchell, is an example of how color and painting technique has the ability to make me feel strong emotions. The painting has a neutral background and colorful strokes in the middle. Through the contrast between duller shades of beige and brighter yellow and green, it draws attention towards the center of the painting.
The random, patternless brush strokes and starkly contrasting colors give me a sense of unease. It makes me want to ask the artist to straighten the lines because it borders stress.
Generally, I like art to be calming and relaxing. “City Landscape” not only stresses me out, but also gives me sligh anxiety. The sense of unease I feel looking at “City Landscape” demonstrates that professional contemporary art does in fact have meaning, allowing me to feel something by looking at the painting.
Moreover, contemporary art can convey issues with society, as seen with the artificial realism oil painting “The Secretary” by George Condo. While not obvious at first glance, the painting addresses the important concern of unrealistic media standards.
“The Secretary” depicts a contoured woman with an apple on her head and an arrow pierced below her temples. She has wild purple hair, two different sized eyes, lopsided shoulders and a ball shaped nose, depicting what a regular person feels like when pitted against the drop-dead gorgeous celebrities we see on television.
This oil painting shows how people must not expect themselves to look like people they have seen on screen. As someone who idolizes supermodels’ looks, the piece lets me see how the comparison between a normal person and those who have a team behind them making sure they look good builds unrealistic standards. “The Secretary” shows that being ashamed by not looking the way a supermodel looks is absurd.
Although contemporary art may not be easy to understand on the surface, it makes audiences think about why the artist made the piece. There is always a reason for the existence of a piece of contemporary art, making them as important as traditional forms of art. Contemporary art holds purpose and deeper meaning, something a five-year-old could never achieve.
