Why do people dislike modern and contemporary art?

<p>There are two main reasons for this, both equally important. Firstly, most people&rsquo;s implicit conception of &lsquo;art&rsquo; &mdash; picked up from school and along the way &mdash; tends to be narrow and blinkered, and fixed on the idea that &lsquo;art&rsquo; is all about beauty and skilled craftsmanship &mdash; of the sort you find in state museums and national galleries &mdash; and not about anything else. This is an easy perspective to hold on to, and easy to apply, and it fits with a wider conception of what life is all about: striving to achieve special skills and abilities that are recognised by all. So when &lsquo;art&rsquo; heads off in a completely different direction &mdash; as is the case with contemporary art &mdash; people are lost, and they go straight back to the old certainties, believing that &lsquo;art is only about beauty and skill&rsquo;.</p> <p>The second reason contemporary art is widely disparaged is that the contemporary artworld itself &mdash; including all those thousands of artists, critics, gallerists, gallery goers and theorists&ndash; has a very poor understanding of its own principles, and so cannot make a convincing case for what it stands for. Contemporary art theory is a mess, and the general public is deeply sceptical, and perhaps with good reason.</p> <p><a href="https://medium.com/illumination/why-do-people-dislike-modern-and-contemporary-art-db13e43c9950"><strong>Learn More</strong></a></p>
Tags: dislike Modern