Unfortunately, so called “modern-art” has invaded every corner of our lives, from tea cups to cathedrals.
The very fact that modern art has made its ugly presence felt on every level, has numbed the sensitivities of people to its very ugliness and reason of existence.
The promoters of such ugliness are not always so forthcoming in explaining why they produce such monstrosities.
But the very famous Spanish Communist, Pablo Picasso, was more honest, at least about the reasons behind his hideous modern art. He once confessed that:
“The rich and the idlers seek the new, the extraordinary, the extravagant and the scandalous. I have contented these people with all the many bizarre things that come into my head. The less they understand, the more they admire it. By amusing myself with all these games, all this nonsense, all these picture puzzles, I became famous. I am only a public entertainer who has understood his time.”
But there’s more:
"I am a communist and my painting is a communist painting. But if I were a shoemaker, Royalist or Communist or anything else, I would not necessarily hammer my shoes in any special way to show my politics." (Interview with Jerome Seckler, 1945, Picasso Explains)
And finally, he said:
"No, painting is not made to decorate apartments, it's an offensive and defensive weapon against the enemy." (Tery, Picasso, n'est pas officer dans l'Armee francaise, Les Lettres Francaises, March 24, 1945)
I sometimes wonder what would happen if more modern artists were this honest. Maybe nothing…
Thank you for this post.
ReplyDeletePicasso was more interested in money and sex , like a good communist. He mimicked the african traditional art and always denied the 'influence', he even have knowledge of it, in his own words. He knew the real art, he only despises it. One thing I must say on his account : he died saying 'Modigliani'.
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