After the ‘impressionists’, ‘cubists’, ‘surrealists’ and other ‘ists’ came into the art world it’s gone down hill like a lead sled. When they started excavating Pompeii the archaeologists found real art, pornographic in nature, to be sure, but it was real art...................
As always, the “eye of the beholder” hands out the trophies.
IIRC
the ‘impressionists’, ‘cubists’, ‘surrealists’ and other ‘ists’ were a hub of the 45 communist goals (The Naked Communist by W. Cleon Skousen)
the point was to make culture turn on itself
genius, skill and beauty were not encouraged
but vulgarity, violence and hate were praised