This is (Not) Art

Earth Room (1977) // Walter De Maria // 250 cubic yards of dirt, 3600 square feet, in Soho

This is Art: There is a real visceral aspect of this piece that rebels against traditional autonomous works. Here, the art is contingent on its surroundings: the architectural space determines its contours, and the horizon extends the physical parameters of the art. What was once a visual experience is now a sensory one. And by bringing nature into an artificial environment, de Maria is perhaps sending a message to be green as well.

This is Not: It’s a room full of dirt. It’s like someone decided, hey, it’d be a great idea to fill up a giant space with compost… instead of, say, food, or clothing, or people. This piece of work may have inspired the Counting Crows’ “tree museum”, but let’s be honest: 3,600 square feet in New York City is a palace… That’s enough room to house all of Goldman Sachs’ summer interns, or at least build a Whole Foods. And Whole Foods is organic, too. Can’t we just move this “earth room” to a studio on the Lower East Side?

This is Not a Pipe (1926) // Rene Magritte // Oil on canvas

This is Art: Tradition provides us with images that can be interpreted in a straightforward way: we see a pipe and we think it’s a pipe… But a picture is not a pipe. The work of art is not reality; instead, it’s just an artificial construct determined by the viewer and the creator.

This is Not: I’m pretty sure it is a pipe. The better question is, what’s in the pipe? Must be something really good if this guy still thinks it’s not a pipe. Because… it is.

Thirteen Most Wanted Men (1964) // Andy Warhol // Silkscreen ink on masonite, 20 ft x 20 ft (installation for New York’s World Fair)

This is Art: Warhol is taking the deviant as a heroic figure by elevating these men above all else. His subjects are men who have transgressed and broken societal boundaries. But by showcasing the men in this way (gazing at each other), Warhol is tying their criminality to a more subtle, perhaps homosexual subtext. The title even suggests some tongue-in-cheek irony about the desirability of the criminals.

This is Not: If this is art, then my collage of photos from college should count too. Except that I didn’t hang out with murderers and rapists — that’s a minor difference. And I’m guessing the New York World Fair wouldn’t want my crazy tailgate pictures on display… although I’m sure I’ve caught some football players gazing at each other on the sidelines.

Marriage of Reason and Squalor (1959) // Frank Stella // Enamel on canvas, roughly 8 ft x 12 ft

This is Art: As part of Frank Stella’s Black Series, the systematic pattern and austere nature of this piece sets it apart from the energy-filled abstract expressionism of Stella’s time (think Jackson Pollock). The systematic, careful approach to the painting defines the limitations in which his work can be viewed. There is a concerted effort to depart from the existing art world in flux, in favor of a sober, ascetic minimalism.

This is Not: Well, if he didn’t use a ruler, then I’m pretty impressed… I’ve got shaky hands. (Perhaps I should find comfort in Magritte’s pipe? Holler for squalor.)