Wednesday, March 19, 2008

An afternoon at the Hirshhorn

What is the definition of "art?" An age old question with a myriad of answers--from the literal to the philosophical. While in DC last week, Mike, his daughter Sarah, and I spent a part of the afternoon in the Hirshhorn Museum of Contemporary Art--it is one of the Smithsonian Museums. I use the term "art" loosely, since, although some of the stuff in there was pretty neat, most of it was . . .um . . .not. Now, some may say I am both un-cultured and precocious for asserting that this stuff is not "art." However, who decides what IS and what ISNT? And furthermore, who decides to PAY these people for something I could do while passed out? I mean, as and English teacher, I am all for critical analysis, symbolism, and digging "deeper" into a work of literature. But this is ridiculous.

Example #1: Bloody Girl

A video they kept playing over and over again. I didnt post the video. Basically, you've got a naked woman (actually "nude" . . ."nude" is for art, "naked" is for strip clubs) kneeling on the banks of a river. She has a pitcher filled with blood, and she pours blood over her naked body. Then, she rolls around on the ground, which is covered with down feathers. Then she stands up. Then the "video" starts again. Then I walk away . . ..


Example #2: Half Circle

Yeah. Thats it. Some genius took a large piece of black construction paper, cut out a semi-oval, and used some Elmers glue to paste it to a larger sheet of WHITE construction paper. That is all. I wonder if they used those little metal scissors we used to use in art class in elementary school. Furthermore, I wonder if the artist was left handed and had to be linguistically marked as "different" by using the scissors with the big thick red handles because they were "lefty scissors." Now THAT is art. Example #3: White paper

I'm not kidding. Thats all it is. White paper. Framed. Mounted on a wall in a Smithsonian Museum. In Darfur, a child is starving to death. Just throwing that out there.


Example #4: Messy closet hanger thingy

Finally! Someone with some real vision! This disgruntled dry cleaner employee decided to take his art "to the street," showcasing his work in a world renowned museum. A bunch of clothes hangers hang from the ceiling. Hey . . .at least it took some time to do . . .its more complicated than construction paper, right?
Example #5: Umm . . . .

Like. Um. Yeah. This is a metal bed frame. And it sits in the middle of the floor. And you're not allowed to touch it. Because its art. As you can see, I'm mesmerized (just like the previous one and the next one too). As a side note, I think it would be fun to actually name these pieces. I forget what they were all called in real life, but this one should be something like "Nursing Home Lamentations" or "Sanatorium Waltz" to represent the conformity that exists as we all "sleep" in our "beds"---which are "society" after all. And we only "think" we're "sleeping," since we all conform . . . .and the beds symbolize our "stale identities," and blah, blah, blah, I'm so full of crap it isnt funny . . . .
Example # 6: Fruity Fruit basket

Again, I'm completely taken by the artistic vision of putting oranges, lemons, and limes into a basket purchased at the Christmas Tree Shop. Its truly remarkable, and I hope the artist at least gives him or herself AT LEAST a week of vacation after some really hard, painstaking work. Great job.
So what do YOU think? Is this art? Do I have a point? Or am I just too stupid to "get it?"

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

I wonder if these people actually get paid for this. I have a bike that is missing a seat could this be art?????

Anonymous said...

I just did art in my toilet!!! What would that be called? And the scissors I had to use had green handles for us lefties, not red.

Anonymous said...

Kristin says I make a mean clown...I wonder if that would be on display? DH has one from like every year that I made him

Anonymous said...

So-called “modern art” gets such a bad rap all the time, as if every abstract artist has personally dedicated his or her life to purging the world of order and beauty. While in some circles, professing a passion for all things avant-garde is practically a requirement for admission, in other circles, it’s just expected that you will hate modern art and all it stands for. (As if modern artists painted the same things for the same reasons, anyway.)

This wholesale dismissal of all things abstract (or conversely, all things representative) has always irked me, because it’s such a limiting perspective. So here’s my small piece of advice for all the haters out there: Next time you’re about to blow through the East Building of the National Gallery, which houses most of its modern collection, slow down just a little and really look. Don’t try to figure out “what it’s supposed to be,” or worse, “what it means.” Just look at what’s there. Lines, shapes, and especially colors can all be beautiful in their own right, without necessarily contributing to a representative whole.

Put aside your preconceptions and just see what’s there. You don’t have to like all of it. (I certainly don’t.) Some of it’s beautiful, some is ugly, some is baffling, and some of it pushes the boundaries of what is actually art. But the diversity is what makes it fun.

Just stop and look.

Belle said...

How about cokey cokey in a sippy cup? Now thats art!

Anonymous said...

IS ART ON DRUGS OR WHAT? Jared come to my house we have plenty of art and I won't charge addmission.

Anonymous said...

I meant Paul.

Maher said...

Don't even get me started on this one. That is once I stop laughing at the photos. I'm pretty sure that metal bed frame was on my sidewalk last week. I stopped, looked and then kicked it. Art.

Anonymous said...

maher's little drawing of himself is art. art in the highest sense, actually. see, i think a good hefeweisen is art.

Anonymous said...

The coat hanger thing is actually pretty cool.

The white paper killed me. Its as if some artist went to the supply store, bought a canvas to paint on, and then their brain just froze.

Anonymous said...

Arty Farty had a party and all the farts were there. Tooty Fruity laid a beauty and they all went out for air.