Time for a laugh at pretentious art critics?

[mercalia]

"The Pre-Raphaelite brotherhood are the most successful frauds in art history. These mediocre Victorian painters knitted together a pseudo-intellectual style from bits of John Ruskin’s theories, quotations of popular poems and pretentious artistic references. Their very name reveals their heavy handed historicism, as they claimed to rescue the pure art of the early Renaissance from the refined classicism of Raphael"

get a real job mate

https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2017/sep/28/reflections-van-eyck-and-the-pre-raphaelites-review-not-worth-a-look#img-3

[Mick F]

historicism ????????????????

What a horrible word.

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[Bonefishblues]

I thought it was an interesting article.

[meic]

I agree with the one opinionated art critic that the other opinionated art critics were pulling the wool over the eyes of the easily led. It is really what they are paid for and pretentious language is an essential part of the job.
Doing art commentary without it would be like riding a bike without a helmet and lycra!

[reohn2]

I don't understand the OP's problem with the article,its an opinion that can only be appreciated from an understanding of that particular aspect of the subject matter,which I confess I know little about,perhaps the OP knows his art and his opinion is valid.
Art can be funny and can polorise opinion as much as politricks,personally I take it on the nose.If I like it I like it,if not I tend to ask myself why not.
One thing's for sure though there's a lot of pretentious twaddle talked about it as much as there is produced IMO,though one man's meat and all that.
I find Van Eyck a bit disturbing and speaking from a professional POV,the floorboards in the painting in the link were laid by a Flemish cowboy carpenter,as he hasn't staggered his butt joints,and so indicates decent tradesmen were lacking even then

[661-Pete]

I think that, for all his cutting-and-pasting from various branches of the Press, with which the OP takes delight in 'enlightening' this forum, he simply doesn't 'get' the Guardian. You need to understand that they publish articles which are deliberately aimed to provoke. This is clearly one such.

Personally, I'd say to Mr Jones of the Grauniad, if you have a genuine Rossetti, a Burne-Jones, a Millais, whatever, stashed away in your attic, I'll willingly relieve you of it for a tenner! But all the same, this sort of article is quite consistent with the Graun's thought-provoking style.

I observe that direct comments are still open on that article (at time of posting). Why not post there?

[Audax67]

I reckon the reviewer is dead right, but the Pre-Raphaelites were just another facet of a 19th century besotted with Scott, Camelot, all things Scottish,* Imperial self-admiration and the White Man's Burden. The third meaning given for historicism is dead on.

*c.f. Flashman's comment about not getting invited to Balmoral any more, which pleased him because tramping round Glen Ballcock** at godawful o'clock while Vicky's Albert tried to slay Monorch of the Glen wasn't his idea of fun. Not to mention the damned tartan carpets.

** it was a different word but Mummy doesn't like it

[al_yrpal]

I have little time for art critics, they are like music reviewers. Why should your tastes and appreciation of something be determined by someone else? They are mostly failed painters or musicians who never made it anyway. I love many of the preraphaelites paintings. They are so often very skillfull and carry obvious moral messages, popular in their time and totally out of vogue now in the age of the me generation. Art for me is about how does it make me feel? I love to go to galleries and look closely at paintings to see how they were done, appreciate the skill and get the message without a written or audio guide. Never mind the rest of it, its all just chatter. Saw Klimpt's 'The Kiss' a couple of weeks ago, a magic piece of work. Off to see the Wallace collection soon.

Al

[Bonefishblues]

I have little time for art critics, they are like music reviewers. Why should your tastes and appreciation of something be determined by someone else? They are mostly failed painters or musicians who never made it anyway. I love many of the preraphaelites paintings. They are so often very skillfull and carry obvious moral messages, popular in their time and totally out of vogue now in the age of the me generation. Art for me is about how does it make me feel? I love to go to galleries and look closely at paintings to see how they were done, appreciate the skill and get the message without a written or audio guide. Never mind the rest of it, its all just chatter. Saw Klimpt's 'The Kiss' a couple of weeks ago, a magic piece of work. Off to see the Wallace collection soon.

Al

Because they aren't determined by someone else. What a reviewer can do is give you an insight into something, but they can't, unless you are of a herding nature perhaps, determine what you like, as you ably illustrate in the remainder of your post.

[mercalia]

I think that, for all his cutting-and-pasting from various branches of the Press, with which the OP takes delight in 'enlightening' this forum, he simply doesn't 'get' the Guardian. You need to understand that they publish articles which are deliberately aimed to provoke. This is clearly one such.

.....

well it gives you some thing feel superior over?

[661-Pete]

well it gives you some thing feel superior over?

No - I think it's the Guardian that feels 'superior'. Not I. And I'm not responsible for it (apart from the more than a few comments I've contributed there - some of which were subsequently moderated).

But if you want to think I 'feel superior' - be my guest!

[meic]

It is the Guardian's USP.
So rather like assuming DM readers do it so they can enjoy feeling some hatred, we can assume Guardian readers do it so they can enjoy a feeling of superiority.

[661-Pete]

It's all rather odd. A funny old world. Now and again I bump into someone I know at the supermarket. There I am, with my Grauniad* prominently visible in my trolley, whilst my friend (who happens to be aged 96) is there with his Daily Fail* equally visible in his. Do I assume an aura of smug intellectual superiority, whilst my friend lapses into his feelings of populist jingoism?

Of course not! We exchange a few pleasantries just as if there's nothing between us. Because there is nothing between us. A lot of it is just stereotyping and false assumptions.

Nevertheless, when taking on Mercurio of this parish, I can't help but adopt a bit of smugness. There's just so much of it to digest!

*I think derogatory nicknames for organs are such fun, aren't they?

[horizon]

I have little time for art critics, they are like music reviewers. Why should your tastes and appreciation of something be determined by someone else? They are mostly failed painters or musicians who never made it anyway. I love many of the preraphaelites paintings. They are so often very skillfull and carry obvious moral messages, popular in their time and totally out of vogue now in the age of the me generation. Art for me is about how does it make me feel? I love to go to galleries and look closely at paintings to see how they were done, appreciate the skill and get the message without a written or audio guide. Never mind the rest of it, its all just chatter. Saw Klimpt's 'The Kiss' a couple of weeks ago, a magic piece of work. Off to see the Wallace collection soon.

Al

It may be due to some pompous art critic that any of us have the opportunity to see the paintings we love (and feel comfortable with). Someone has to sift through it all and decide what is worth saving, buying and exhibiting. Art can sometimes say a lot and it usually takes a lot of words to say what it is saying (that's why it's art not because it's art). I was in the St Ives gallery recently - it's worth looking through a semi-professional exhibition and trying to decide what you make of it all.

[al_yrpal]

Last time I was at St Ives I was appalled by what was in there but I suppose some enjoyed it. Glad they have refreshed it. Lots out there to enjoy outside galleries.

Al