Art is change; art is never changing

Muggles, Miss Wah, Southsea

One day a couple of years ago I went to the Tate Modern, spent a couple of hours looking around and decided that much of the modern art contained therein suffered from that modern malaise wherein a purpose is replaced with a punchline. A cartoon with a caption, which in a newpaper is worth a  thousand words, but in a gallery is worth doodly squat.

M-One, Southsea

Piece after piece juxtaposed two images or concepts with that juxtaposition being the whole message.  Snow White with a Machine Gun, Hitler reading the Beano.  You know the sort of thing.  You didn't stop to look at the brushwork or consider the style or composition.  You looked for the joke, then you moved on.

Sticker Art, Strong Island, Southsea

I left Tate Modern (a place that I had visited because I like contemporary art) and went to the National Gallery (a place I tended not to visit because I had no interest in classical art - through being bored stupid by it at school).  I was (needless to say) overwhelmed.

Paste-up, Southsea

Standing in front of a painting and realising you are standing in front of the greatest painting in the world is an amazing feeling. Then taking five steps to the right and realising that this one is even better.

Paste-up, Southsea

All this useless beauty.

Stencil art, Southsea

British Art Show 8 is currently in Southampton.  There was one video installation which held my interest start to finish but not much else.  So I went to Southsea looking for paste-ups, stickers an stencils.  Are they great art?  Not really.  Are they an interesting diversion?  Yes. They're the urban equivalent of bright red corn poppies in a field of green.

Paste up, Southsea

Finally.
Have you seen this cat? Or slipper?