"The Painted Word" by Tom Wolfe

I just want to say that I was entertained by the amusing, sarcastic tone that the author used in this article while he was basically slamming all of modern art.  It's not that I completely agree with all he said, I just thought the way he went about it was silly.  

Anyway, as for my objective summary...Wolfe begins his article with the "discovery" that all of Modern art is essentially literary: "the paintings and other works exist only to illustrate the text" (1).  He then continues by asking how this could be possible, because Modern art was essentially a reaction to "literary" realistic art--where painters would often illustrate well known stories/fables/etc. and try to create an illusion of reality.  The theory of Modern art began with the concept of art for art's sake.  

The artist's realm had moved away from nobility and the upper classes and was now more of a self-imposed separation from the hypocritical bourgeoisie.  The artist was now a bohemian in nature and so could not feel comfortable associating with the upper classes but still needed their support in order to be considered "successful."  Wolfe observes this behavior as taking place in two parts: the Boho Dance, in which the artist acts as if he doesn't care what the cultured people think of his art but still shows his art around, and the Consummation, where cultured people come to this artist's bohemia to try and find new and exciting art.  Wolfe also observes that the public were not part of this transaction.  What they thought did not matter, they were only informed of the decisions made by their superiors after the decisions were completed.

Wolfe then continues through each major Modern art movement, starting with Cubism, moving in Abstract Expressionism, Pop Art, and Minimalism (among others) and shows how with each movement, the avant-garde in art dug itself ever further into a hole composed entirely of Theory.  Each movement had to be more true to the theory or come up with a purer version of the theory than had the last.  It all came to depend so much upon the theories that "ugly" art was often considered the best, as it could be given meaning in the context of a theory.  Wolfe ends with the supposition that future people will look back at this period in art history with amusement.    

Some of the artists referenced in the article:

Willem de Kooning, Woman III, 1953

Jackson Pollock, Number 1, 1950

Roy Lichtenstein, Drowning Girl, 1963