"What Passes for Art"

Written in 1927, the author of this piece complains that all of the modern art of the day is worthless, bad art.  He is concerned that people are getting mislead into enjoying this art because museums will display it and people will flock to the rooms with the modern art, whereas the rooms containing the works of the great masters will be almost empty.  The author laments the public's seduction with this bad art because he believes the artists that create the art do not put as much thought into their work and don't have the complete skill and mastery of the medium and subject matter as did the old masters.  With much complaining and bemoaning, the piece continues along the same line, but ends on an optimistic note.  The writer believes that public confusion concerning good and bad art is on the decline and that people have it in them to recognize real art when they are presented with it.  Therefore it is up to the museums to show this art to the public and all will be well.

Here is a piece of work by Kenyon Cox, spectacularly denounced by the author as follows: "If one man in America succeeded in making his name a by-word for artistic deadness, that man was Kenyon Cox" (90).

Kenyon Cox, Augustus Saint-Gaudens, 1887