Has Modernism Failed?

This book was very interesting for me. I'm an artist and have always felt a bit uneasy about the marketing culture surrounding contemporary art. Gablik raises some very good points about the consumerism culture we live in and the its relationship to the art world. She also discusses the consequent loss of tradition, links to spiritual issues, and connection with the general public. Gablic is a very good writer; most of the time I can't make it through art criticism writing, but this is fairly easy to read. It also helps that there are some good art history references in the essays and interesting philosophical references. My only issue with this book is that Goblik tends to focus solely on having more of a traditional/spiritual foundation and making a link to general society and making a difference. But she forgets that there is a lot of purely aestheticly beautiful art that makes peoples lives more pleasant just because they are "transcendent" in their beauty. You can't throw the baby out with the bathwater. I think it's good to focus on the spiritual and spur people and the general art community to take a look at how we can reach out, but we also need to value the strides taken on a purely aesthetic level and see how to meld the two somehow... It can't just be about fixing the environment and helping the poor; there's art that enriches people's lives just because it's awesome to look at.

... from my University days ( well, just ten or eleven, I'm still young and slim), but I remember perfectly the good impression this book caused to me. I strongly recommend it. For contemporary art fans and also for those who hate it.