By Sara Poric ’26
Contemporary art, or art made by living artists, has become increasingly controversial in recent years. Some believe its simplicity and effortlessness strip it of value and worth, and I can’t help but wholeheartedly agree.
I understand that art is subjective and that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but taping a banana to a wall and calling it art is ridiculous. This piece, “Comedian” by Maurizio Cattelan, was recently sold to Justin Sun for $6.2 million. According to AP News, on Nov. 22 of this year, Sun ate the banana shortly after he bought it. This piece was intended to make art accessible to everyone since art is seen as a luxury item today and to make fun of the rich who buy this kind of art. I don’t understand why Cattelan would later sell it for $6.2 million if it’s meant to prove that art is for everyone, not just millionaires and billionaires. My problem isn’t necessarily with the artist. My problem is with the buyer who only bought the piece as a joke. If this artist can create something so simple and sell it for millions, why can’t I? What makes Maurizio Cattelan so different from me or anyone else?
Another example of contemporary art that is an eyesore for me to look at is Jo Baer’s “Primary Light Group.” There’s little to no meaning behind this work. Even the artist herself stated, “I understood this blank, white area as light… and the edges are boundaries.” The edges are the colors red, blue and green because they are the easiest for the human eye to see, and I think that is the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard in my life.
Contemporary art was created to challenge traditional views of classical art and break norms, and I completely support that. Yet, contemporary art fails to provide a fresh, exciting way to express yourself. It glorifies mediocracy, reduces real art to a crumpled ball of paper in the trash, and redirects peoples’ gaze to abstract and entirely useless artworks.
To be clear, I don’t hate all contemporary artwork. I merely hate the ones where no obvious effort or meaning was applied to the creation of those pieces, such as the banana taped to the wall or Barnett Newman’s “Who’s Afraid of Red, Yellow, and Blue III.” Newman’s artwork is even worse than Cattelan’s in my opinion. The artwork depicts a large canvas with red paint covering almost every inch with a tiny vertical stripe of blue paint on the left side and an even tinier vertical stripe of yellow paint on the right side. I can’t fathom why anyone could look at Newman’s art and think that it’s worth any price more than $0. If anything, I should be paid just to look at the abomination that is “Who’s Afraid of Red, Yellow, and Blue III.” I can’t put into words just how much hatred I feel for Newman’s piece of “art.” The fact that there are so many other works out there that are even worse than Newman’s proves that skill and talent don’t matter anymore, as long as you can come up with a brainless hidden meaning behind the art piece.
Honestly, I can’t help but respect some of these contemporary artists, even if just a bit. They are able to put little to no effort into their work and still become incredibly rich. So, if you’re looking for a swift way to become a millionaire or a billionaire, try looking into contemporary art.
The Raider Press 