Preferably none just saying “you deserved it” etc. Thanks guys :).
Tom

Sorry, but you deserved it. 🙂 Just pay it; it’s only £25 after all and you were in the wrong.

As to T5, I’m glad I’m not a Wokingham council tax payer. I would be very irritated that council employees were wasting their time pursuing pointless freedom of information requests.

Thank you for clarifying your statements. I understand exactly where you’re coming from now.

Your second sentence reminds me of how variable are the gradations of individual boredom.

John Green

Once again, you’ll have to explain that one to me.

You didn’t explain why those of us with opinions you don’t share are the “thin end of the wedge”

I suspect I know what you mean but I think you should clarify.

I don’t suppose you will though.

I’m sorry but you were the one who made the generalization that rubbished modern art. All I’m saying is that some exponents of modern art do not fall into your generalization.
To me, a picture does not have to be “of” anything; it can be an abstract, full of colour, shape and texture. It doesn’t have any less merit as a work of art in my view.

Such a sweeping generalization of modern art is to deny such as Dali, Picasso, Matisse, Munch etc. their place as proper artists. I don’t think that their work could be described as “frothy, non serious, light hearted and trivial”

Isn’t that elitist?

No, it isn’t.
Of course there needs to be talent but by constraining what constitutes art can back it elitist. There is much modern art that I struggle to see the point of but that shouldn’t stop anyone from having a go at doing what they want with a particular art-form.
Who are we to restrict artists and their work?

I certanly hope so. Something is needed to separate it from the ‘dumbing-down’ lowest common denominator; anything go’s; standards are irrelevant; culture that we now experience in all our everyday activites.

Contemporary art ? Don’t give me hysterics.

If traditional art is elitist then so am I – very much so. When I go to a proper art gallery, I go in the expectation of being uplifted and enthused at what the human spirit, mind and hand can accomplish. I do not want to gaze on the childish daubings of someone who has been seduced into believing the critical acclain delivered by so-called art critics who reckon that the trivial nonsense they call modern art has any intrinsic value whatsoever.

It hasn’t, for the simple reason that anyone can turn out meaningless and irrelevant crap. Merely because some overly rich idiot is willing to pay the equivalent of Portugals balance of payments deficit doesn’t render the object meaningful and relevant modern art.

John Green

I’m afraid you have, in a few paragraphs, demonstrated all that is wrong with traditional art and art appreciation today. What you want to do is make art inaccessible to anyone who doesn’t conform to the your narrow view on what makes good art. I was personally moved by many of the pictures I saw during a recent visit to the National Gallery, the first time in many years, but there is much “traditional” art which might technical brilliant is really rather dull and uninteresting to look at.
Fortunately there are those who are rather more enlightened and are prepared to try something new and adventurous.

So traditional art is elitist then?

Does it matter whether any art requires training or hard work?

It is the end result that matters.