Art With a Capital F

Paid a buck to get into the Whitney Museum during their Friday evening "pay what you want" hours. Currently there is an exhibit of Edward Hopper on display on the fifth floor, & Hopper has always been one of my favorites, particularly his New York scenes. One of his paintings on display was the gloomy New York Movie, which I once used as desktop wallpaper. Another painting featured was Soir Bleu, which I used to think was early Picasso.

On the first floor was a smaller exhibit on Alexander Caulder's magnificent circus creations - animals & performers made of wire, cork, & debris. This was accompanied by a charming film showing the sculptures in action.

On another floor, however, were four paintings by a swindler named Ad Reinhardt. These four paintings were stark black canvases. Yes, minimal art. I had to listen to the audio feed for this one. A nasally voiced twit explained how it's not so much what is there but what isn't there that is important. I propose we take it one step further & have no canvases there at all. In fact, in three steps we can have no museum & really save the tax payers some cash. Once upon a time you didn't have to explain why art was good - you could just look at it & think "wow." Subject matter, degree of skill involved, etc. It just seems demeaning to have four black canvases hanging in the same building as Edward Hopper, toted as on an equal par. I googled this Ad Reinhardt charlatan only to learn these black canvases are primarily what he's known for. He's a "conceptual artist."

Alright, here we go. I'm going to write a great novel:

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There, a conceptual masterpiece. I want that published by Scribners in hardcover & placed on the shelf alongside The Great Gatsby. I'll be expecting my Pulitzer by week's end.