[Merged] Is it Art?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-19937044

An oil painting by the German artist Gerhard Richter has sold for £21m ($34m) - an auction record for a work by a living artist.
Abstraktes Bild, painted in 1994 , which was owned by rock star Eric Clapton, has been described as a "masterpiece of calculated chaos".

Quick, give me a paint roller...or a felt pen..

[Cobbydaler]

Originally Posted by Maggy J

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-19937044



Quick, give me a paint roller...or a felt pen..

I quite like it actually, lots of energy...

[Peter_]

Originally Posted by Maggy J

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-19937044



Quick, give me a paint roller...or a felt pen..

I remember painting something similar at 5 years old in school, pity I never kept it, they should try going to the average primary school as it would cost a lot less than £21 million, the term "Money for old rope" comes to mind.

Originally Posted by Cobbydaler

I quite like it actually, lots of energy...

I want art not energy.

[joglynne]

I don't mind looking at abstract artwork, and indeed own a couple of pieces, but if I were going to shell out £21m I would rather have a piece of artwork that took skill to achieve rather than buy something based just on the name of the artist.

The "Emperors New Clothes" springs to mind when I hear some of the opinions based by the professional dealers who have a vested interest in achieving the highest prices.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-20218094

An exhibition in Vienna probes our attitude towards nudity - people in the West have become accustomed to the naked female form, but male nudes can still shock. Before the show opened, the museum even covered up parts of its own posters, saying they had caused public outrage.

And us women get flack for protesting about page 3 wimmen...

I say if we have female nudes everywhere then why not a few more penises on view?
Also is it women complaining or men?

[peanut]

Originally Posted by Maggy J

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-20218094



And us women get flack for protesting about page 3 wimmen...

I say if we have female nudes everywhere then why not a few more penises on view?
Also is it women complaining or men?

looks like a cheap statement for shock factor, but art, I don't agree it is anything to do with art.

As for page 3, I think that is long overdue to be cancelled, I don't think it is needed anymore. Before you had models that made a career from Page 3, then went on to other things. Nowadays its a different model everyday, so all they're getting a is a couple of quid with no guarantee of anything else afterwards, feels outdated and cheap today.

I don't agree that we have naked woman on show everywhere, topless is different to full nudity. If this exhitbition was showing full female nudity for public viewing then it'll be just as controversial.

Personally full nudity in an art form is good and nothing wrong with it, but for a cheap stunt I don't think it'll go down well being male or female. It's not as if nudity, sex and porn is needed to be shown in public these days when you have the internet.

With all due respect I think you have missed the point.That it's about how we view the nude in art and in real life.How it's more acceptable to see naked or partially clothed females than males and yet the male nude has been around as an art form for as long as the female form.

The exhibition however ran into the usual shock and outrage about male nudes.Note it's male nudes not female nudes.Plus they were not out to shock or titillate.

So what does it say about our society?What does it say about the complainers?Are we like our parents or are we more laid back about sex.

The fact that we regard an erect penis as obscene but not an erect nipple..

And yet our ancestors regarded an erect penis as something to be proud of as a sign of virility and fertility.I'm thinking of the Cerne Abbas figure as well as the Japanese penchant of making giant stone phalluses.

When did we star thinking that it was not something that should be seen?

[TheDaddy]

Originally Posted by Maggy J

With all due respect I think you have missed the point.That it's about how we view the nude in art and in real life.How it's more acceptable to see naked or partially clothed females than males and yet the male nude has been around as an art form for as long as the female form.

The exhibition however ran into the usual shock and outrage about male nudes.Note it's male nudes not female nudes.Plus they were not out to shock or titillate.

So what does it say about our society?What does it say about the complainers?Are we like our parents or are we more laid back about sex.

The fact that we regard an erect penis as obscene but not an erect nipple..

And yet our ancestors regarded an erect penis as something to be proud of as a sign of virility and fertility.I'm thinking of the Cerne Abbas figure as well as the Japanese penchant of making giant stone phalluses.

When did we star thinking that it was not something that should be seen?

Imo it's because female bits are a lot more artistic and nicer to look at than the hairy dangly spherical objects hidden in mens pants, this is confirmed by Michael Angelo's David, he may have just been a boy but he's hung like a tiny baby and that's all there is to it imo.

Originally Posted by TheDaddy

Imo it's because female bits are a lot more artistic and nicer to look at than the hairy dangly spherical objects hidden in mens pants, this is confirmed by Michael Angelo's David, he may have just been a boy but he's hung like a tiny baby and that's all there is to it imo.

You do realise that your post reveals a lot about you.

I'm beginning to think it's men who don't want phalluses on display.Like they either don't match up or they might be expected to match up..That women might think 'so that's what I've been missing'. That women lie when they say size doesn't matter.

I suspect it's the size of a man's bank balance that counts for most women

[joglynne]

I would have liked to know how the numbers of complaints against this exhibition were split between Men and Women. I have a sneaky suspicion that there is an element of Penis envy involved with this when it comes to criticism of this exhibition by the male portion of the viewing public.

A lot of men see no problem in 'admiring' the female form but when it comes to admiring the attributes of their own sex it triggers a whole other set of fears and possible feelings of inadequacy.

Michael Angelo's David was acceptable because he made the male viewers feel that they had very little to try to live up too.

I do of course realise that few of our errrrr male members will have any such hangups their being a very well balanced, though small percentage, of the male species.

[TheDaddy]

Originally Posted by Maggy J

You do realise that your post reveals a lot about you.

I'm beginning to think it's men who don't want phalluses on display.Like they either don't match up or they might be expected to match up..That women might think 'so that's what I've been missing'. That women lie when they say size doesn't matter.

I suspect it's the size of a man's bank balance that counts for most women

Yes it revels I don't like looking at scrotums, that's the bit I thinks unattractive not the penis and interesting use of the word phalluses, the only art I ever recall seeing with a full lob on was on a toilet door.

Originally Posted by TheDaddy

Yes it revels I don't like looking at scrotums, that's the bit I thinks unattractive not the penis and interesting use of the word phalluses, the only art I ever recall seeing with a full lob on was on a toilet door.

I would link but I suspect there would be barrage of report posts if I did..

Just look for Phallus, Japanese and statue.

[Gary L]

Originally Posted by Maggy J

Just look for Phallus, Japanese and statue.

Thanks, Maggy

[TheNorm]

Originally Posted by joglynne

.... I have a sneaky suspicion that there is an element of Penis envy involved with this when it comes to criticism of this exhibition by the male portion of the viewing public....

Erm... only females can have penis envy...