After a recent visit to the Tate Modern Art Gallery in London, some displays have led me to question the concept of ‘Modern Art’. The display that stimulated this thought process was a Sainsbury’s receipt framed on the wall in Tate Modern. Subsequently, this arose some questions in me: Can Modern Art be too simple?, Does its simplicity evoke certain emotions?, Has Modern Art gone too far?
Although some Modern artwork can be very ‘complex’ in the sense that its apparent simplicity is symbolic of something specific, there are some instances which can lead you to wonder to what extent Modern Art should be able to go. For example, the Sainsbury’s receipt could be deemed too simplistic and does not necessarily deliver a very clear message. Moreover, a Morrison's till receipt for products worth £70 in total was being sold for £30,000 which sparked some controversy. Some could argue that the receipt has a deeper meaning as it could represent domestic life in the present day. However others are not as willing to accept this viewpoint as it also raises the question of where to draw the line with Modern Art.
In Tate Modern, a large variety of artwork is being showcased, some of which instigated more questions in me about the purpose of Modern Art. For instance, the displays of simple shapes may seem rather elementary to the viewer, however in Ellsworth Kelly’s artwork, ‘A series of curves’, he intended to use these simple shapes to ‘create effects of light and shadow…foregrounding the relationship between the art object, the viewer and the surrounding room.’ Therefore, on the surface the displays might appear to be ‘useless’, but as you start to research further into the artist’s intentions, you can gain more insight into the role of ‘simplicity’.
Another function of Modern Art could be to create contrast between other forms of art. The Sainsbury’s receipt was striking amongst the other paintings in the room that I might have ‘expected’ to be there beforehand. Consequently, it made me question its purpose in the art gallery and what meaning I was meant to draw from it. Furthermore, Marcel Duchamp’s ‘Fountain 1917, replica 1964’ also seemed out of place and it therefore caught my attention. It was seemingly odd to place an ‘ordinary manufactured object’ in an art gallery as it does not indicate the artist’s technical skill. Alternatively, it is perhaps the artist’s intent to ‘challenge fundamental assumptions about what a work of art can be.’
To conclude, some of these examples of Modern artworks can lead us to call into question their purpose and supposed ‘usefulness’. As a result, Modern Art can open us up to new perspectives on Art and can enable us to appreciate its lack of traditional ‘sophistication’.
