remember kids, it doesn't need to be difficult to make to be art, it just needs to make you think of it as art
this post was submitted on 14 Sep 2025
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Don't be mean. I promise to do my best to judge that fairly.
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Fountain is unfathomably based. I've used this history lesson to reassure my cousin who started painting for his PTSD and got told by a bunch of shitheads that he wasn't a "Real Artist" when he sold some art.
This stuff is a litmus test for when you're in a culture war with people trying to hide the fact they're warring with you on every front they can
Only people who don't understand art say that people "aren't real artists." It's the most obvious way to know that someone's opinion isn't worth listening to.
You're only "not an artist" if you're not making art. If you make something and don't want it to be art, then it's not art, and you're not an artist.
That's about it as not artist goes.
That got me thinking;
a welder creating a sculpture: artist
a welder making a tool: artisan
Is the tool a functional piece of art?
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If he sold art he's definitely an artist.
If he hadn't sold any he would be too, but selling it is undsniable proof that someone else across him as an artist.
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They say “traditional art”, but they mean “shut up and paint, with no subversive messages hidden”.
But the thing is, the time period they consider “traditional art” is chock full of artists being told to “shut up and paint”, and not appreciating that very much and deciding to sneak subversive messages into their works, knowing that their patrons would be too dumb to catch on.
In effect, they’re saying “can we go back to a time when I didn’t understand that you thought I was dumb?”
Shall we talk about Caravaggio? Most notably Basket of fruit?
He was an atheist sneaking anti-church messages in his church-bought paintings. Iirc he got found out a couple of times and people weren’t super happy if being played for fools.
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I was one of those people who derided “Fountain,” until about thirty seconds ago. Thank you for this.
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People who hate on modern art are either too stupid to understand it or afraid of it.
Like you don't have to like or love it, but imagine saying it's not art...
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