Art: I know It When I See It

Last year, Andres Serrano’s Piss Christ reignited the old “What is art?” discussion. Serrano shocked the art world in 1987 with a photograph of a crucifix submerged in a jar of his urine. He again sparked controversy in September 2012 when Piss Christ was featured at the Edward Tyler Nahem Gallery in New York. The photograph not only shocked the religious communities who were offended by the desecration of a holy symbol, Serrano’s work also forced even the most open-minded to ask, “Is this art?”

A quick Google search of the definition of art yields this: “The expression or application of human creative skill and imagination, typically in a visual form such as painting or sculpture.” I guess no one can argue that Serrano used his imagination to produce his work. But did he really apply creative skill? Admittedly, Piss Christ is creative, but skilled?

No. Absolutely not.

Maybe I am too quick to judge Serrano. And maybe he is ahead of his time, and we are (or at least I am) incapable of appreciating his talent. When Pablo Picasso first entered the art scene, many dismissed his work in the same fashion I dismiss Serrano.  Only after his death were people able to appreciate his creative genius.

Pablo Picasso, Seated Woman, 1941

Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlungen, Sammlung Moderne Kunst in der Pinakothek der Moderne München
© Sucession Picasso / VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2013

 

Artists such as Degas and Monet, also, strayed away from the norm and subsequently endured a contemptuous reception.  In response, Degas, Monet, and other dismissed artists united to create a modern art. And today, we celebrate these artists for their innovativeness and herald their work as art.  

Edgar Degas, Woman ironing, c. 1869

Oil on canvas, 92.5 x 73.5 cm

© Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlungen, Neue Pinakothek München

History continually shows us that we reject the new because we don’t understand it.  With time, the public grew to understand and appreciate the beauty found in the works of Picasso, Monet, and Degas among many others.

I’m probably reacting to Serrano the same way people from the 19^th century reacted to Degas.  Half a century from now, Serrano’s Piss Christ might be considered the iconic work from our generation. But for the sake art and all that is beautiful, I pray that Piss Christ does not become the new standard of art. I can handle Picasso’s strange shapes and colors - I might not understand him, but I can admire him.  But Serrano? I highly doubt I’ll ever be able to look at that photograph of the little crucifix in a jar without grimacing. I don’t own the official rubber stamp for art, but I know art when I see it, and Piss Christ is not art. 

You can visit the NeuePinakothek’s ongoing exhibition entitled Changing Perspectives: Degas – Picasso | Gauguin– Nolde | Monet – Macke which will run until 31 August.  If you can’t make Munich, you can also explore works by modern artists such as: Edgar Degas, Claude Monet, Paul Gauguin, Vincent van Gogh.

If you can’t do, critique!

Everyone is an artist in some way or another, wouldn’t you agree? Whether it’s with words on a page, musical stylings, in the kitchen, or paint/pencil/chalk on a board/canvas – everyone has their own unique way of expressing themselves. Many of us do it in the privacy of our own homes, never daring to show it to anyone for fear of rejection, being misunderstood, or simply not caring that the rest of the world learn to value our talent. “My momma thinks I’m special and that’s enough for me.”


Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Top of the Mountain, 1918.
Oil on canvas, 79.5 x 90 cm.
Private collection.

If you were, however, to venture out of your comfort zone and introduce your talent to the world, wouldn’t it be nice to already have a critic in your corner? That’s exactly how it went down for Altenbourg, Bacon, Braque, Kandinsky, Kirchner, and Klee. These men, members of Die Brücke through Art Informel (a branch of Bauhaus) and everything in between, were tirelessly supported by the one and only Will Grohmann – a German art critic and enthusiast – for over fifty years. That’s a long time to say nice things about a person, friend or not.


Paul Klee, Engulfed Landscape, 1918.
Watercolour, gouache and ink on paper on cardboard, top and bottom borders in satiny paper, 17.6 x 16.3 cm.
Museum Folkwang, Essen.

And while I do find Grohmann rather biased in his shameless support of his mates, I greatly admire his collection of correspondence. Having over 2500 pen-pals, I imagine Grohmann was quite busy writing letters, post cards, and, of course, his artistic criticisms. It’s really a pity that our own generation has found it nearly impossible to hold on to the beauty of the hand-written letter.

Feel free to sit down and write me a hand-written letter anytime, and I promise to respond in the same form. However, in the meantime, head over to the Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden, now through 6 January 2013, to see In the Network of Modernism and admire the same works that captivated one of the most influential art critics of the 20^th century. When that’s not enough, order these colourfully illustrated ebooks: Kirchner by Klaus Carl, Klee by Donald Wigal, and Kandinsky by Victoria Charles.

-Le Lorrain Andrews