Lifelike

A few weeks ago, my family and I went to the Lifelike exhibit at the Blanton art museum. I have to admit...I didn't really have high hopes for this exhibit. At the risk of sounding like a persnickety, "get-off-my-lawn-whippersnappers" old man, I don't really understand modern art. Why is a blank yellow canvas considered to be a masterpiece? I just don't get it.

Another reason I'm wary of showing too much appreciation for modern art is that I've heard about so many art museum pranks (like Banksy's awesome caveman prank). I'm afraid that I'll be the tourist standing in front of the fire exit, stroking my chin and murmuring "interesting criticism of modernity."

One of the pieces at the exhibit that perplexed me most was what appeared to be a piece of cardboard, leaning against a wall. When I first saw it, I thought I could do that - and then immediately hated myself. I sounded exactly like a narrow-minded Polluck critic.

Then I learned that the cardboard sheet had actually been painstakingly crafted out of bronze and I immediately thought, oh, maybe it is worth something then. Then I was horrified. Is that how I measure the worth of art? I wondered worriedly. Just because more time.money/energy was spent on it, it becomes more meaningful? How do you even define art?

The more I saw, the more questions I had. What is art? I puzzled. Is modern art in a gallery more important than a street art mural? If so, why? How does our perception of art affect artists? What sets the difference between art and graffiti? Is it a matter of personal taste or are some things simply not art? Are everyday objects art, or does a person need to create them with artistic intent? If that is the case, then does photography count as art, if it's just capturing something that someone/something else has created? If art changes through the ages, then is street art the next step?

After watching Exit Through the Gift Shop multiple times, I felt like maybe I could have a bit more of an opinion on modern art (especially street art). I loathed Mr. Brainwash (Thierry Guetta) for copying the ideas of countless others before him, using street art as a way to get rich quick. He wasn't even making the art, I thought scathingly. He stole an idea from someone else, told a crew of underpaid carpenters to build it, and slapped on a three million dollar price tag. But again, I was measuring a worth of the art by the time and skill it took to create it.

Mona Lisa, arguably one of the most famous paintings to this day, is simply a woman with a mysterious smile in front of a nondescript background. It isn't necessarily the focus of the painting that has helped it to be considered a masterpiece for so long - it is da Vinci's skill in painting her. Artists like Andy Warhol take common objects (soup cans, gallons of milk) and change them in a way that will get people to notice them.

Visiting the exhibit raised many more questions than answers. After a while, though, I came to the the tentative conclusion that perhaps the true measure of art is how long it can stay with you after you leave, and how much each individual piece can alter your perception of the world, rather than the amount of time, money, energy or skill used to create it.

~Maya