New Media in Art 18-35 Response

When reading this section I thought about whether artists like Marcel Duchamp or Joseph Beuys would have garnered so much acclaim or been so influential if they had created their art at any other time. It seems to me that their art hit some kind of cultural sweet spot to be able to start a movement and inspire so many others at the time. I think this phenomenon is so interesting to me because it's almost as if the physical art is less important than the timing of the art, and the cultural implications thereof. I also think that this explains why it it so difficult for many people today to appreciate or understand this kind of art, and why its often met with dismissal or ridicule.

I also noticed in the reading many examples of hypermediacy, such as John Cage's musical compositions, that included sounds such as pounding on the wood of a piano, making the listener aware of the medium. (P. 24) This focus on the medium seems highly prevalent in fluxus art, especially in the case of Nam June Paik's film that was, quite literally, blank film projected on a TV. Again, these types of works focus more on the cultural significance or rebellion against the commonly held standards of quality at the time than the work work itself. This leads me to ask the question, what is more important for a work of art, the way it physically appeals to one's senses, or its cultural and historical significance?

Comments

  1. Carter KSeptember 9, 2018 at 3:21 PM

    Carson, you brought up some interesting points, and I agree, that the timing of art is key to its success. As for what makes art important, I think that modern art has to do with its cultural/historical significance, whereas when art was seen as just painting portraits and landscapes, it was more on the aesthetic appeal.

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  2. therosefollowerSeptember 9, 2018 at 6:58 PM

    You make a good point, by bringing up that artists were at the time, being "ridiculed" at a time, when the new, was looked at in a way that almost offended the practices at the time. Coming up with something new, that was to take over the old methods, was take as an offense more than anything.

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  3. Taylor SeidSeptember 9, 2018 at 10:45 PM

    This comment has been removed by the author.

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  4. Taylor SeidSeptember 9, 2018 at 10:50 PM

    Hi Carson! Your idea that the timing, as well the cultural significance or rebellion of an artwork may be more important than the actual artwork are intriguing. This makes sense to me, because it seems as if the artwork was more about rebelling against the upper class and traditional forms, asking the question of what art really is, instead focusing on the quality of the art. Thanks for a new point of view!
    - Taylor Seid

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  5. J-WSUSeptember 9, 2018 at 11:53 PM

    This was an interesting and well written post! I think the answer is a mix of both. The cultural and/or historical significance behind a composition might make the piece more impactful for the viewers. The aesthetically pleasing features can make a piece stand on it's own if there is no special significance behind it. Eventually the piece might fall out of fashion or appear strange as it's importance begins to slide.

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  6. UnknownSeptember 10, 2018 at 8:50 PM

    You bring up some very good points and an interesting question. I think it would be a combination of the two. The physical art itself could be amazing yet it could have been put out in the wrong time, hence why it is either not appreciated during the time it is put out (it can be appreciated at another point in time), or the timing could be right but it does not appeal to anyone. When the mix of the both are right, it can bring about great change, cause new movements to arise and so forth.

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