You see a work of art that is valued at millions of dollars, or you go to an art museum and see a “masterpiece,” but it looks like junk. Many pieces of modern art, quite frankly, look like something a preschooler made in arts and crafts, yet people call them works of art made by geniuses. 

Jackson Pollock’s works sell for millions of dollars, but they literally just consist of paint thrown on a canvas (a technique known as drip painting). Anyone could do it; it is that simple. Or look at Marcel Duchamp’s work, “Fountain”: a men’s urinal turned on its side with “R. Mutt 1917” written on it. 

Adolf Hitler thought modern art was decadent. It is sad to say, but Hitler was probably right about modern art (and nothing else).

However, it all depends on the definition of “decadent.” Decadence can mean simply a decay of standards, or it could indicate self-indulgence. By both definitions, modern art is decadent; it is a decay of old standards, and it consists of artists indulging in their flights of fancy. 

But is that bad? Any new artistic movement consists of a period of turning against the old standards. In the 1400s, many art critics likely called the new Renaissance-style of painting a decayed corruption of medieval standards. 

As for modern art being self-indulgent, Mae West (the great leading lady of Hollywood’s Golden Age) captured the unapologetic sentiment perfectly when she said, “Too much of a good thing is wonderful.” Maybe modern art is another example of art imitating life. Our modern world is extremely self-indulgent, so why not our art?

The famed 20th century artist Andy Warhol said, “Art is what you can get away with.” That is a fitting sentiment, especially coming from a man who recreated a supermarket and called it an art installation. 

Art is what you can get away with, but what does that mean? Does that mean that art lies solely in the eye of the beholder? That could signify that art is not a volitional act at all. 

And if art is really so subjective, where does one draw the line and say that something is just ridiculous? Is a car wreck art? According to Warhol, it is if someone thinks it is. 

Warhol was on the right track. He recognized the subjectivity involved in art, and how we, as people, create labels like “art.” Art is not intrinsic to the work itself; art is just what we call something that we like. 

People often criticize modern art by asking, “What does it mean?” The hidden meaning of this rhetorical question is that it has no meaning. They say this to indicate that something is, in fact, not art.

But, can they explain what the Mona Lisa means? Art does not have to mean anything. It can mean something, but there is such a thing as “art for art’s” sake, as seen in Metro Goldwyn Mayer’s motto: Ars gratia artis. 

Art only needs to be aesthetically appealing, but that could cover a lot of territory. What about the work of animals? Is a seashell or a bird’s nest art? 

No, because these creatures do not create these objects for the sake of it, but rather through instinct. 

That leads to another point: What about things that people make by accident? This is a touchy area because many great things are created by accident. 

Still, it is hard to call an accident art because art must be intentional. Perhaps the artist did not know exactly how the piece would turn out, but they actively sought to make art. 

So, what is art? It is customary to think that everyone has their own definition because it is subjective. However, a good baseline would be a piece of work that people find attractive and that is made intentionally. 

Yet, this is an inherently loaded question with deep political ramifications. One cannot call something art without making a judgment regarding its value. By calling something “art,” we essentially are saying that it has value, that the creator has merit and deserves respect, and that anyone who disagrees is an uncultured philistine. 

Maybe art is just a big confidence trick wherein artists try to get the rest of us to buy their products. Warhol did say, “Making money is art, and working is art, and good business is the best art.”