Art is Pretentious* | The Art Assignment | PBS Digital Studios

23 thoughts on “Art is Pretentious* | The Art Assignment | PBS Digital Studios”

1. Also, at 7:10 of your video, you make the same "mistake" with "was" at the end of the top line and repeated at beginning of the second line. Are trying to make us crazy?

2. You’ve repeated the word ‘actually’ on the definition of of the word pretentious 1:04

3. So in other words people’s use of the word pretentious when describing art and artists is pretentious in its self

4. YOU are ART, baby! This video should be run in a loop at the entrance to every Art Venue in the country. Now, if you can get another video with a man criticizing this video and calling it pretentious, played simultaneous at the same volume so that the voices compete with the listeners attention. THEN you got ART! Because art is a conversation of pretense where nobody is right and everybody is anxious about looking stupid. To make this dual video interactive ART, simply add a microphone and a simple sign saying "please comment loudly and often." BOOM!

5. this video was really uplifting <3

6. Who created and in which intensity ….
   That's important I think ……
   Copy is not allowed in the art world!!!!

7. This video was great. Keep up the good work!

8. Not all art is pretentious, there's visually appealing art and then there's the pretentious 'art', both totally different things.

9. It's pretentious to gaslight people that beauty or technical skill don't exist. Nature herself has geometric, proven examples.
   Pretentiousness used to be religious, because the divine cannot be reached, and lots of 'art' is modern but soulless and moralizing from a very cold place. That's why people are repulsed. The sermons are contemptuous of belief.
   It's become a status signal among New Money like Deeper Than Thou because I can see the transience of a plastic bag caught in the wind.
   In which case, logically, it shouldn't be expensive, if it's all around it's common. So, add hypocrisy to the charges.
   Then there are people like Picasso who used to paint well until he realised he made more money with abstract and denied painting former pieces to preserve his value per piece. It's an appeal to authority but one artist can't own an emotion, it's exclusive and divisive they act otherwise, totally repugnant entryism/gatekeeping. Modern art makes people hate it foremost due to classism, a video on classism and trying to keep out the wrong patrons or viewers might be interesting.
   Yoko stayed with a domestic abuser who seemed to marry her from yellow fever. I expect better before admiring someone. He raised her profile but at cost of female dignity.

10. if you think about it a painting is just goop on a surface

11. Haha! Of course art is pretentious! That's a substantial part of why I do it. It's a healthy exercise of the ego sometimes.

12. Get a bowl of fruit, or look at a naked woman.

13. Or maybe the objection is that its shit that people only pretend to care about because they think it makes them look cultured, when in reality no one actually values it for itself. It's all oily commercialism pretending to be authenticity.

14. Question!!! Do you guys sell that sticker? "Art is Pretentious"!!! I would love have it <3

15. Photography took some wind out of art, now the internet is taking wind out of photography. I don't need to see a painting of flowers. I just look at the trillions of flower pics on the internet.

16. Art isn’t as pretentious as this host

17. But when people say contemporary art is pretentious, they aren't saying the same thing about music, film, or literature. The problem is the pretending to be much more than you are, which, in the case of, say The Beatles, as opposed to Yoko One, the actual skill obviously warrants the level of pretense. Thus the argument that all art is pretentious is a non-sequitur. Only contemporary art, starting with Duchamp, pretends to change the course of civilization with a wry comment. Viewers are rightly charging some are with being "pretentious" when it obviously requires little or no skill, while also offering nothing or next to nothing (say, a Martin Creed crumpled paper ball that is just an century too-later knock off of "The Fountain"), but it considered so important that it is in a museum or selling for millions of dollars. Note, I've never heard anyone call Giger pretentious.

18. On the open-minded thing. Let's not fool ourselves .The comments only show people are swayed by authority to accept a position as tenable. If you made an different argument, such as that some form of art was bullshit, you'd find your average, fawning viewer would be open-minded to that position as well. This is not openness to art, but openness to suggestion. You kinda' got your echo chamber, and the confirmation bias affirmation. Paul Joseph Watson or Joe Rogan will get the exact opposite. In reality, people are right that a lot of contemporary art is pretentious, overpriced, and doesn't really offer anything to them other than a reminder of the ridiculous. But they will love music, film, and literature because they actually get something out of it.

19. its kind of like being a YouTuber: anyone can be a YouTuber but it takes fans to make you be worth

20. Actually, actually

21. it's sad to think that because you haven't attained a certain level of fame or experience or notability, your work cannot be monetarily valued at a high price even if it is exquisite

22. Can you do a dialogue with Camille Paglia?? Please? Have her on, and have her review some of your past videos. It would be a dream come true for many (especially ME!) to have her views on your take on particular artists.

23. Interesting video. It's takes no bravery to attack something you don't understand but It's extreamly brave to walk a path nobody cares about!! Art and artists are often misunderstood and yes when it comes to buying and selling it can be a little disheartening. Art comes down to being useful or not useful, it's really up to ourselves to decide!

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