Okay...so
I'd like to rant about art again, but I'm also afraid of becoming Harriet the Spy and writing mean things about people. And I know certain people keep up with friends via internet journals and such...but anyway...
This isn't meant to be a personal attack. It's a general attack on people who have minimal understanding of art and continue to...ugh.

Okay, so...
Speaking with a dear friend. Love him dearly, I really do. I'm just using this as an example of my frustration with the world.
"So how's painting going?"
"Pretty good. Just got done with a painting."
"What have you been painting?"
"Abstract. Expressionist kind of stuff."
"Ah...going to do anything realistic soon?"
"Nope."
"Awww, man! I loved your realistic landscapes!"
"Expression = <3."

And thus began a "discussion" if you would. He claimed that expressionism was fake a fluffy. What???
How is Gogh, Munch, Matisse, Kandinsky, and Kirchner--The Fauves, Die Brucke, Der Blaur Reiter...fake and fluffy?---compared to all that ultra anally painted religious triptychs and stiffly positioned royal paintings?
Whaaaaaat?!?!?!?
There's no way this person has seen some of this work, and there is no way he recognized the names I mentioned. I went two years as an art major not knowing who/what these people/things were, and unless he has somekind of obsession with art history that I don't know about...
ugh.
And when I mentioned expressionism, he said, "you are stuck in modernism...post modernism is reality." That makes no sense. Clearly there's no sense of time line in art, no sense of what modernism even is...no sense of...grrrr.
Today's art is usually called "Contemporary" for any of you who don't know. At least that's what my art professors call it, "I'd like you all to make a list of 10 living contemporary artists." It's not modern...modern was...modernism is another time/type of art. I know--it's kind of confusing.
So I listed the names of expressionist artists as I did above and he said that they were just people crying out for attention...or something like that.
Actually, they were breaking with tradition. Something that got them attention, but also denied by galleries. Not to mention painters like Picasso were highly skilled and trained in traditional painting but chose the route they did. Art would not be what it is today had those people not "cried out for attention" or whatever.

I mean, I'm not entirely confident with my art history, and I'm not going to get all my names, dates, and movements/-isms right, but...why would this person really challenge someone who's been through dozens and dozens of art history slide shows, and dozens of critiques? I mean...my knowledge of it certainly needs work--I'm not an art history buff, but I have a jist, and a pretty good understanding of what's going on. Certainly better than the general population.

And really, I know this sounds like an attack against an individual, but I could have this problem with anyone who hasn't studied art into depth. It's okay for people to have opinions, and I'm certainly interested in discussions with other artists who have different opinions. Like if you're an artist or someone who knows a lot about art/art history that hates expressionism---lay it on me. I'd be happy to hear why and what you have to say because you are probably articulate and educated about the topic. But if you are ignorant to art history, art styles, movements, etcetera...and you're going to feed me a bunch of stuff that has nothing to back it up with...then don't bother. I'll classify you with the people who love paintings of puppies, one stroke, Bob Ross, Thomas Kinkade...kay? If you're like...in love with Thomas Kinkade and you're an artist and you can articulate why you love him and all that jazz, go ahead. I mean...I was once sucked into the beauty that Kinkade created, it's just...cliche and---ugh now.
I appreciate all kinds of art. Minus One Stroke...that's not art...that's hobbiest stuff...that's like down there with paint by number...but anyway...I appreciate all kinds of art. I appreciate photo realists, I appreciate the religious paintings of the past, I appreciate Dada--even though I think it's a bit crazy (sorry Susie...lol) but I know the reasons why it exists! I know the context in which the art was created.

Ahem.
Rant over...for now.