Why do million dollar paintings look like scribbles?

Question

I don't get these paintings that consist of a large white canvas with a dot in the center that are selling for thousands or more dollars. And then the all too famous ones that literally look like someone threw a hissy and chucked random cans of paint at the canvas. I really don't understand what's going on here. I guess the thing that annoys me the most, is as with any category of art, including writing, there are people who struggle to become good, put in the hard work and extra effort, and for the most part seemingly get nowhere, or go unnoticed, while some ivy league drivel deliberately designed to leave the reader confused makes its way into magazines, and other obvious plays on popularity, like some sort of elitist inside joke, and ridiculous paintings such as these sell for enough money to feed a country and more. Any thoughts?

Answer 1

i feeel the samw way idk why

Answer 2

i feel the same way, i could compare one of those famouse paintings and make my kid play and splatter pain over a canvas ..and i would say it lookes exactly the same except its not worth millions

...starving artist

Answer 3

most of those works are famous because of the timing.  like the "spashed paint" being famous, it was only because it was drastically different from what was being producted prior to its time.  that was a movement age, where the painter wanted to be part of his work, they would physically walk around the canvas, and as the viewer you can follow these movements.  sometimes random things got caught in the painting.  jasper johns was works where his cigarette butts fell into the wet paint and were stuck there.

as for the "dot in the center" that was during the era most likely interested in color theory.  they wanted to prove that certain colors/shapes/lines could invoke emotions/thoughts

its all just about timing and being different than what came before.  

****  but, i agree that a lot of it is c**p when looked at today.  lol.  dont tell my art history teacher that.  looked at when it was created, it was so different and they were bold statements so that in turn made those artists well known and famous, which is why they cost so much.  that part is all about the name.  if you did those kind of works today, you wouldnt get a second glance.

Answer 4

I agree with you, totally!

In the words of Red Greene, "If I can do it, it's not art!"

I mean I can throw random brush strokes onto a canvas.

I can pound a piece of clay into some blob and put it on a pedestal.

I can cut holes and make jagged edges on a sheet of metal. Will anyone give ME millions?

I can also paint objects in "abstract."

Many of the arts I see that are worth millions, I can do that!

Why are they worth so much? I have no idea.

Answer 5

it's becuase sometimes some those scribbles are suppose to be expressing peoples feelings. And then some of are suppose to be just picture's showing how colors look when there mixed up

Answer 6

There are two camps here, the wannabe's and the elite snobs.

The wannabe's want very much to be an artist but haven't the talent to pull it off. Then there are the elite snobs that don't want to be left out in left field in the arts. Both of them contribute to the foolishness involved in the visual arts, like paying money for the primates ignorance in colour and composition.

Then there is the true artwork that is valid. The colourist's and the abstractionist's work can be quite valid and what they are doing is called "conceptual". Conceptual art is a very difficult field to pull off sucessfuly. It has been done on numerous occasions but it takes a very sharp and talented mind to do so. These men and women are rare.

The arts are filled with pretensious people, they so much want to be "where it's happening" and all the while they are in a cesspool of tomfoolery.

Art is a very hard study. Beauty is NOT in the eye of the beholder. Beauty is a LEARNED AND TAUGHT  subject and it is acquired either by osmosis or trained study on a university level. Or a college centred on the visual arts alone.

People have their own tastes, this is in the eye of the beholder, but beauty? It's learned, it is a study in itself. If it wasn't then we must ask ourselves just what are we doing with all these museums and art galleries and art schools?

A concept is a valuable part of the arts. For the best part that is what is sold to the knowledgeable. "The Concept". Everyone else is on a gravy train conning the greedy and the snobs for all they can get. And those that want to be "where it's happening"? It's happening right out of their bank accounts.

The pretensious, the ignorant, the patronizing snobs, they are what makes a lot of non art, art to them for the sake of social standings. Poor them.