Lost in modern art

The headline of this text is quite right if you ask the public’s opinion about modern art. Many people have probably come across it at some point in their life, but despite the effort they just don’t get it. When you used to look at a painting in the olden days, the chances were you could actually tell what it tried to depict. Nowadays many pieces of art can be analyzed and interpreted in multiple ways and this might seem difficult if you don’t think of yourself as much of an art guru.

In my opinion people should be guided and helped more in order to get them interested in modern art. Museums should replace their fancy-term-using guides with people who could translate the language of art into something a normal person understands. When I visited the Kiasma modern art museum in Helsinki I really had no idea why someone had recorded a half an hour image of an empty room, and would’ve loved for someone to have told me. 

There are many good qualities in modern art which unfortunately sometimes go unnoticed when people are so concentrated on not understanding an art exhibition. Modern art is collective: sometimes a work of art has been made by more than just one artist and sometimes even the audience can have a say at what a piece of art turns out to be like. Instead of just a plain picture on a canvas modern art is often three-dimensional, which makes it more impressive. It triggers more senses than just the sight, e.g. it might also contain music.

I think that in a few years’ time modern art could be well on its way to achieving a valuable goal. Art should be for everyone to experience and create, since we all have a need to express our feelings in some way. Modern art has already taken into consideration that painting of scenery is not for everyone: it’s more free and versatile than traditional art. Now people only have to be encouraged to try it out – they might just like it.