Postmodern Art Has Its Sokal Affair Moment

This is classic. So-called "postmodern art" has its version of the Sokal Affair that struck postmodern writers a decade ago. It seems a two-year old's paintings (sometimes using paint, sometimes using ketchup), along with his mom's over-the-top-but-typical blather as descriptions for each piece, have fooled some "art critics". This is so funny, because it is so pathetic. As Pink Floyd once said, "nearly a laugh, but really a cry."

When will postmodernist writing and postmodern art go away as fads? Now wouldn't be soon enough.

An Amazing Fallingwater Animation

I've always been a big fan of Frank Lloyd Wright's masterpiece Fallingwater. Several years ago we were in the Pittsburgh area and were able to tour it. Definitely worth a visit!

But if you can't make it anytime soon, here is a great 5-minute animation that gives you a virtual tour is really quite amazing. (Thanks to Neatorama for the link.)

Art Bollocks and the Gibberish Industry

David Thompson has written an outstanding essay on the sad state of art criticism, postmodernism, and related trends in academia and other institutions. It is a very good read, and I was pleased to see the quotations from both Jeremy Stangroom and Ophelia Benson's Why Truth Matters, and even more so, from Stephen Hicks's Explaining Postmodernism. Hicks's book should be considered required reading for anyone interested in investigating the strange world of postmodernism.

Definitely Not Art

Folks, this is not a joke... I repeat, not a joke:

The Royal Academy in London, one of the most prestigious art galleries in the world, recently displayed a slate pedestal and a small piece of wood as a minimalist work. The sculpted head that was supposed to be shown had been separated from the pedestal and wooden support during preparations for the summer exhibit. The mistake was not discovered until artist David Hensel came in looking for his sculpture and found just the base on display. Museum curators, however, were unapologetic, saying the block of slate deserved exposure while the sculpture did not. "Given their separate submission, the two parts were judged independently," according to the academy's official statement. "The head was rejected. The base was thought to have merit and accepted."

While humorous, given the premises of many in the contemporary art world, this is not surprising. I repeat, this is not surprising. It is sad/stupid/ridiculous/etc., but not surprising.

To see the display in question, visit this other news source.