Modern Art

Modern Art could simply be defined as art that lacks deception. It's a painting that is just paint on the canvas, not trying to be something else, like a basket of fruit. It's flat and two dimensional. True to its nature.

One of my favorite parts from "The Painted Word," reading was where Wolfe suggested that when viewers look at literary paintings they approach such work with "mental baggage." Though this may especially be true in relation to literary paintings, I feel that this is also true in any work, and I think that is beautiful. Every person has their own thoughts and experiences and no matter how hard an artist tries, those will somehow find their way into the viewer's interpretation of the work.

I also appreciate the idea from Greenberg's article that modern art became pure. I like the idea that paint on a canvas is almost a humbling expression--what you see is what you get. On the other hand, this single interpretation of what painting should be can also be very limiting. Dan Barney says that art is about asking what is possible. When you define painting as only being two dimensional and about the paint I feel that many possibilities are being missed. However I do recognize the value that this perspective played during the time, and how it has helped art's continuity to today.