Renaissance art, Greek sculptures and art history in general are all admirable traditional pieces that deserve sports within museums around the world. Despite this, contemporary art has become boring and meaningless, and although there is a certain beauty in simplicity, the concept can only be done so many times before it is worn out.
With the rise of artificial intelligence in the photo and art world, anyone can create anything with the right description and software, defeating the appreciation for the time and dedication that goes into a piece of traditional artwork. The average time for a traditional painting depends a lot on the canvas size, type of paint, detail in the piece and drying time, but even with all of those steps, the average amount of time spent looking at art in a museum is a mere 17 seconds, according to HuffPost.
In the same article, a study concluded the median time for looking at one of the most iconic pieces of artwork in history, the Mona Lisa, is 15 seconds. The American Psychology Association observed the modern attention span to be around 47 seconds, meaning not only is the general appreciation for works of art declining, but it’s getting worse with the spread of unoriginality today.
Many describe pieces of contemporary art as reductive, or presenting a subject in a simplified form. In art today, we tend to see a lot of monochromatic colors, simple shapes and empty space. All three of these would fall under the seven elements of art, they are typically presented in a way that just feels lifeless. There are no details to observe, no brush strokes to admire and no texture.
Although many are upset with the skill it takes to create modern scribbles, most frustration stems from the respect these pieces gain compared to pieces like the Sistine Chapel. The Mirror brings up a piece currently displayed in New York City’s Metropolitan Museum of Art by Cy Twombly. Titled “Untitled I,” the piece is quite literally a multitude of red scribbles across a few canvases. A piece like this being hung in such a prestigious museum just feels odd.
Part of the problem is the disinterest in artwork. People who view modern pieces like “Untitled I” are witnessing a low level of creativity. Viewing artwork in museums that are sculptures preserved over hundreds of years, oil paintings by artists such as Van Gogh and even cave paintings from the beginning of humanity can change a perspective and the level of respect someone might have toward art as a whole.
Art is becoming a lost art, which, in hindsight, is scary. Creativity in songwriting and modern music has already been criticized for becoming stagnant and boring. The same goes for contemporary books, particularly romance novels. The value behind art is the time it takes to not only create the piece but also dream it up and put something with meaning onto a canvas, and this notion should continue to ring true.
Abby Jenkins is a junior studying journalism at Ohio University. Please note that the views and opinions of the columnist do not reflect those of The Post. What are your thoughts? Let Abby know by tweeting her @abbyjenks18 or emailing her at aj205621@ohio.edu.
