Defining Contemporary Art: The Devil Wears Prada and On Museums

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Masks, coronavirus, gender, country or state borders, fashion, family borders, what is food, comfort, perfection, comfort zone, anxiety, because you are a girl…” art and science, fears, the white canvas, self-motivation, edge of my knowledge, social constructs, expectations, money, artistic skill, lack of artistic skill, doubt, space, time, school, work, comparisons, ignorance,

What troubles me about this statement?

I don’t know anything about art but I know what I like.

From Barrett: When people talk about art, they tend, unthinkingly, that everyone’s opinion is as good as everyone else’s.  To dismiss a carefully thought out, backed by evidence statement with “That’s just your opinion” is intellectually irresponsible. (not that it should be accepted, but that it deserves a reasoned response.)

 

It doesn’t matter what you say because it is all subjective anyway. When discussing art. An extreme relativism that does not allow for truth or falsity, or plausibility and reasonability, or for knowledge and experience either

 

Critics are knowledgeable, passionate, political, opinionated, enlightened, connoisseurs, art does not speak for itself. A good critic makes arguments, not pronouncements. Critics can also be about resistance, freedom, social justice, rebellion, interpretation and promotion.

 

There are many models of art criticism.  Every time we, as critics (connoisseurs, lovers of art), confront a work of art, I am looking for something way beyond a simple pronouncement “I like it”, I am looking for a vivid description, merging into an interpretation (including how it moved you), an informed judgment, and some theory….how is it art? This means you are going to be building a chair of your theory of art.

1.  How do we choose which art to look at? (the Devil Wears Prada)

https://www.google.com/search?q=the+devil+wears+prada+blue+sweater&rlz=1C5CHFA_enUS913US913&oq=the+devil+wears+prada+blue&aqs=chrome.1.69i57j0l7.15018j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

 The institutional art world is the primary area where we will be looking for artists. We chose this route because this art may have the most influence on culture, ideas, and other artists. 

2.   Kerry James Marshall: on Museums: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G5mIklsZl5s

At the same time, we need to be aware of the problems with this selecting our artists from the institutional art world, especially artists who have been left out. 

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Kemmerer, Wyoming