The Painted Word

To the empty nonsense of the modern art world. It takes a respected writer to say that the emperor has had no clothes for a while – and that modern art has been a dance between money and intellectual aspiration, mediated by art critics. Art criticism reminds us that it is possible for smart people to convince others of nonsense by sufficiently clever wordplay, on the edge of what sense, so that the reader always feels that they almost get it. It is sold in large doses of meaningless theory, with small nuggets of truth. The nuggets of truth sell the larger nonsense. The distinction the author draws between music and literature, which actually do have a public audience, and the visual arts – which depend on a tiny number of patrons desperate to be seen as knowledgeable – is useful. Another distinction is that the other forms of expression dont fetishize the object – an original manuscript or a first performance is valuable, but not what most people care about. In the visual art world, the original painting is the only object of value – pointing to the very emptiness of the actual content.

He’s right, the Art World is a total scam. Most of the public have no idea what they are looking at, and the elite that buy the junk don’t either, it’s just an investment to them. I do art, but not weird stuff like a rotting rope thrown down on a mat, or some other lame crap. Anyway it doesn’t matter what I think, this song and dance is for the buyer and the seller with no intentions of including the public. Why don’t you make some of your art yourself, Jeff Coons? What a joke.

If you have ever been confused, amused, or just plain confounded by abstract art, this book will make it very clear what its all about and what its not! Wolf described the forces, real and imagined, that brought this art movement to the fore. On the way you will smile and laugh at the goings on in the NY art world of the 50’s and 60’s. When you are done, you may well ask was it real? It is a relatively short book and does not assume you have or need a degree in art history.
Get a laugh and little insight into one of the more offbeat eras of art. When you are done, you may never think about abstract expressionist art again in the same light, or any light.

There’s nothing I can add to the deserved 5 star reviews except a recommendation for Brendan Heard’s excellent updated, fleshed out, politically savvy version of the same sad story: The Decline and Fall of Western Art. It doesn’t have Wolfe’s humor and mastery of the vernacular, but its polished, aphoristic prose style redeems a sometimes academic tone.

All the things we believed in our heart of hearts about modern art–that it was bogus, a con put over on the public–it turns out was true. Thats what Tom Wolfe tells us in The Painted Word. The art critics created the rules, the artists obeyed, the media went along, and we believed it. This is a wonderful little book (106 pages), immensely readable, funny, outrageous, and best of all, spot on the mark. Take Jackson Pollockplease! Seriously, Jackson Pollock was picked by one of the super-rich elites who despises the middle-class and decides what hangs on gallery walls and what doesnt. Pollock was chosen from the vast unwashed bohemian artists of Lower Manhattan, set him up in one of New Yorks Midtown lofts, given a stipend on which to live, and told to create art, which, in Jacksons case, was dripping paint on canvas. Jack the Dripper, some wag called him. Next, take art critic Clement Greenbergplease! Smug, arrogant, out-of-touch with reality, he created an art theory in order for we the unenlightened simpletons to appreciate what Abstract Expressionism artists like Jackson Pollock were creating. Eventually, Jackson Pollock had to refer to Greenbergs theory in order to be in compliance, so to speak. This was the state of the art world in the 1940s and 50s and thank goodness its passed. And thank goodness no one really bought into it. As Jackson Pollock would say, If Im so terrific, why aint I rich! Except for a handful of people, nobody was buying his paint drippings. If you want to be entertained some lazy afternoon, read The Painted Word. Or take in a movie. Whatever you do, find the time to read this book. Tom Wolfe is a flat-out joy. Five stars.

Galaxyaudiobook Member Benefit

- Able to comment

- List watched audiobooks

- List favorite audiobooks

- Bookmark will only available for Galaxyaudiobook member