is this art?

during discussion in class this evening, the question popped into my head, specifically when peter brought up cory arcangel and his work with gradients in photoshop (here are some examples). essentially, these pieces were done with a few clicks of a mouse.

while looking at these pieces, i couldn't help but draw some comparisons between this and some minimalist/abstract pieces i've seen (malevich, stella, rothko, etc). i know the medium is completely different, but just looking at the final product, it seems that some of the same questions might be raised.

in speaking of similarities, i find that the artists composing these pieces more often than not are making some kind of statement. in doing so, it seems they were not so concerned with whether or not their work could be called art, but rather that their work conveys a message. regardless of the answer, their work is hanging in a museum somewhere and raising discussions such as this. i'd say that counts as something.

behold the monkey

anyone seen this recent restoration of a spanish fresco? 

apparently an elderly lady from the church where it is displayed was allowed to do the restoration and very clearly had no idea what she was doing. frescos are not typically my cup of tea, but it's unfortunate to see this kind corruption of art, just in the sense that the original is now lost forever. however, it does raise some interesting points about interpretation.

on a lighter note, it has become quite a sensation since it hit the media and tourists are flocking to the small town to view it. the unfortunate restoration has garnered the fresco the title "ecce mono" (behold the monkey), its original title being "ecce homo". in addition, other artists have used the restoration in interpretations of the last supper and mona lisa.

the full article can be viewed here.

the end of western civilization as we know it.