In 1926, the renowned American social critic H.L. Menchen wrote a famously acerbic essay The Libido for the Ugly in which he wonders if there “is something that the psychologists have so far neglected: the love of ugliness for its own sake”..... ask yourself this question: how many people if shown – say - Vermeer’s Girl with a Pearl Earring would think it a great work of art even if they didn’t know it was famous and valuable? And now ask yourself (hypothetically of course) how many would think that about Picasso’s Les Demoiselles d'Avignon if they’d somehow never seen – or even heard of - Cubism or any other type of abstract painting? And now ask yourself if you would know that Mondrian’s Composition with Red Blue and Yellow - is a great work of art if no one had ever told you so? https://grahamcunningham.substack.com/p/deconstructing-deconstructivism
The history of Art and Culture in the modern age is the story of a palace coup orchestrated by the eunuchs in a harem, the eunuchs being "theorists" and "critics" who replaced beauty, craft, and rigor with stilted verbiage and pseudoradical jargon, where the artist, the viewer and the work are supplanted by whatever social and political theories can be added like handles for easier carrying (and where the incentives somehow always magically align w the personal and career needs of the theorist class).
Once Art could be anything it became nothing, and once being an artist didn't involve talent, skill, technique etc it meant anyone could be an "artist", which explains such 21st-century masterpieces as the guy who canned his own shit or the female "artists" who consider exposing their unmade beds or breasts and genitals "art".
Once Art became about theories, causes, interpretations, social and political positioning, once every artwork came with a long explanation larded with guild jargon, its inevitable end was to be another luxury good or academic franchise where a priesthood of theorists play their status games while pretending it's all about "Progress" "inclusion" "Equality" or whatever else is the trendy slogan du jour.
Our theorist class are the termites of civilization, chewing to pieces and getting fat by destroying all they could never create. I'm not so sure "artists turned away from beauty" as much as they were bullied away from it, as the theorist class are masters of punitive moralism and personal denunciation.
In 1926, the renowned American social critic H.L. Menchen wrote a famously acerbic essay The Libido for the Ugly in which he wonders if there “is something that the psychologists have so far neglected: the love of ugliness for its own sake”..... ask yourself this question: how many people if shown – say - Vermeer’s Girl with a Pearl Earring would think it a great work of art even if they didn’t know it was famous and valuable? And now ask yourself (hypothetically of course) how many would think that about Picasso’s Les Demoiselles d'Avignon if they’d somehow never seen – or even heard of - Cubism or any other type of abstract painting? And now ask yourself if you would know that Mondrian’s Composition with Red Blue and Yellow - is a great work of art if no one had ever told you so? https://grahamcunningham.substack.com/p/deconstructing-deconstructivism
Thanks for sharing, I really enjoyed your piece! I need to go read that Menchen essay now.
Thank you Megan. I'll check out your 'stack again too.
The history of Art and Culture in the modern age is the story of a palace coup orchestrated by the eunuchs in a harem, the eunuchs being "theorists" and "critics" who replaced beauty, craft, and rigor with stilted verbiage and pseudoradical jargon, where the artist, the viewer and the work are supplanted by whatever social and political theories can be added like handles for easier carrying (and where the incentives somehow always magically align w the personal and career needs of the theorist class).
Once Art could be anything it became nothing, and once being an artist didn't involve talent, skill, technique etc it meant anyone could be an "artist", which explains such 21st-century masterpieces as the guy who canned his own shit or the female "artists" who consider exposing their unmade beds or breasts and genitals "art".
Once Art became about theories, causes, interpretations, social and political positioning, once every artwork came with a long explanation larded with guild jargon, its inevitable end was to be another luxury good or academic franchise where a priesthood of theorists play their status games while pretending it's all about "Progress" "inclusion" "Equality" or whatever else is the trendy slogan du jour.
Our theorist class are the termites of civilization, chewing to pieces and getting fat by destroying all they could never create. I'm not so sure "artists turned away from beauty" as much as they were bullied away from it, as the theorist class are masters of punitive moralism and personal denunciation.
Great piece! Cheers!
The "eunuchs in a harem" hahahahahahahahahahahah
It's so true that the theorists and critics bear much of the blame, and deserve endless Tom Wolfe-style mockery.
Appreciate your work and your defense of beauty (sad that we even need such a thing).
Esthetes of the world unite! ;)
Bravo!