Understanding Modern Art

Modern art has become a joke in the world of art owing to the fact that there is no relationship with its composers. Some have flippantly stated that for work to be considered modern art, it need not be artistic or contemporary; as a matter of fact, it must not even be work. In today’s world of art, one may take a picture of a piece of old wood at the beach and dubiously call it a creative art piece. Contemporary art has nothing to do with the style or the period from which the art piece was made. Besides, the artwork may fail to display the intention that the creator had at the time of drawing. Indeed, Modern Art in America represents a revolution of taste that has served to identify the caste through which that revolution is conducted.

As a movement, contemporary art, began at the turn of the twentieth century whereby it was purely dependent on mystery and authenticity. Moreover, there had to be an evident kind of conversation between the painter and the canvas to ‘bring the art to life’ so to speak. Modern art, and by extension, modern architecture were only reserved for sophisticated corporations, municipalities, buildings, and synagogues. As such, the discipline was not considered for the masses as it was for those that could intelligently decipher the abstract meanings conveyed. In those days, art was ridiculously expensive and was challenging to produce. Stories of artists who had lost their sanity or completely abandoned their work and even thrown away their artwork were commonplace.

American modern art has been observed with disdain for many years with critics claiming that America had come late to the party. Experts claim that whatever is considered art in America presently, had already been done in Europe three decades prior. Admittedly, the statement could be true since the very essence of art originated from Europe and its influence blew over that continent before it came to America. However, claiming all control over art is not justifiable and so is the dismissive nature of the proponents of such ideas. Art is liquid and continues to change with the times. Indeed, the very means of capturing works of art has evolved and, therefore, the message communicated is also likely to change.

Modern art has been attacked by established interest groups such as politicians within the society and the church for being immoral, snobbish and deceptive. The truth is that modern art pieces are an actual representation of the current age. Contemporary art is fluid, and it can only be considered modern if it is newly created. Some may argue that there is nothing new on earth and history repeats itself. However, certain things are novel to different people. As long as art offers a fresh perspective to its viewer, then it is rightfully considered as ‘modern art.’ It is evident that art from the twentieth century no longer has a large audience. It can even be claimed that people do not understand the art and since there is no pressure to look educated, modern artforms have become worthless. Nonetheless, the deep, refined love for art and paintings should be reawakened in the masses to better appreciate, and, perhaps, create new artistic works. The fluidity and dynamics of art should be appreciated particularly in the contemporary context, and each person should be allowed to enjoy their form of art without demeaning another.