Comments on: "I got more publicity from this little joke... than from all the serious work I ever did over many decades."

"I got more publicity from this little joke... than from all the serious work I ever did over many decades."

amyms — Sat, 24 Mar 2007 22:34:30 -0800

A hoax that embarrassed the art world: Pavel Jerdanowitch and the Disumbrationist School of Painting . This "joke on the art critics" was perpetrated by Paul Jordan-Smith, a former pastor who had left his calling after being charged with heresy. He went on to become a writer, editor and journalist, and in 1924 he decided to commit blasphemy against "the strange gods of modern art." The Pavel Jerdanowitch Painting Contest was inspired by the hoax. "The challenge is to produce the worst painting every painted." It's not too late to submit your own entry for 2007. You can check out last year's entries, including the "loser" (winner), for inspiration.

By: amyms

amyms — Sat, 24 Mar 2007 22:36:09 -0800

While you're at the reverent.org links, be sure to check out their home page for more articles, quizzes and silliness related to arts and literature.

By: nanojath

nanojath — Sat, 24 Mar 2007 22:40:44 -0800

My score on the "true art vs. fake" quiz lined from the article: 75% "correct." I call that a pass! Suck it, modern art haters.

By: flapjax at midnite

flapjax at midnite — Sat, 24 Mar 2007 22:47:34 -0800

Checking Jordan-Smith's seven "hoax" paintings, I must say they're rather likeable, and have that characteristic of "naive" or "outsider" art which has become so accepted in recent years. This makes the whole "hoax" aspect, when viewed through our modern-day lens of what art can and/or should be, all the more interesting. Thanks for the great post, amyms!

By: Tlogmer

Tlogmer — Sat, 24 Mar 2007 22:51:10 -0800

I got 83% on the quiz.

By: agentofselection

agentofselection — Sat, 24 Mar 2007 22:56:17 -0800

Contenders?

By: Dizzy

Dizzy — Sat, 24 Mar 2007 23:01:47 -0800

Nice find, amyms! Check out "museumofbadart.org" for more stuff that'll make yer eyes bleed...

By: ClaudiaCenter

ClaudiaCenter — Sat, 24 Mar 2007 23:04:04 -0800

I liked Jaws v. Kotex, actually.

By: flapjax at midnite

flapjax at midnite — Sat, 24 Mar 2007 23:06:55 -0800

Contenders? Definitely. That kind of sci-fi airbrush stuff is far worse than any of the bad art on the Pavel Jerdanowitch Painting Contest! At least, according to this art critic...

By: amyms

amyms — Sat, 24 Mar 2007 23:18:41 -0800

Thanks for the extra links, agentofselection and Dizzy... I actually enjoy some of the stuff that other people consider to be "bad"... And I can't really get into some of the stuff that other people consider to be "good"... I guess I am the epitome of the quote: "I don't know art, but I know what I like"... And flapjax, I agree with your assessment of the hoax paintings... I thought some of them were very likeable.

By: Falconetti

Falconetti — Sat, 24 Mar 2007 23:21:14 -0800

If you are truly committed to making bad art, I don't think you will succeed. The best bad art is when people are sincere but fail miserably, since there is such a divergence between intent and conclusion. When sincerity falls flat, there is something really gross about it.

By: amyms

amyms — Sat, 24 Mar 2007 23:23:58 -0800

When sincerity falls flat, there is something really gross about it. I like that. That statement could apply to so much more than just artistic efforts.

By: JHarris

JHarris — Sat, 24 Mar 2007 23:29:20 -0800

Hey, I quite like "The Eyes!" Maybe that's why it's 25th place out of 27....

By: Banky_Edwards

Banky_Edwards — Sat, 24 Mar 2007 23:29:32 -0800

Stellar links. Seconding flapjax - the Disumbrationist paintings are clearly genius examples of outsider art, but, you know, like a century ahead of their time or something. (But seriously, I would frame one of those prints!) I also got 75% on the quiz. Gentleman's C!

By: Afroblanco

Afroblanco — Sun, 25 Mar 2007 00:06:33 -0800

"The challenge is to produce the worst painting every painted." I think these folks already have that covered.

By: owhydididoit

owhydididoit — Sun, 25 Mar 2007 00:12:27 -0800

Excellent post! I only got 67% on the real/fake quiz.

By: owhydididoit

owhydididoit — Sun, 25 Mar 2007 00:16:54 -0800

I also liked the Disumbrationist paintings. Part of me says, who cares what the artist thinks I should think of them?

By: Salmonberry

Salmonberry — Sun, 25 Mar 2007 00:46:28 -0800

My new career awaits!

By: Citizen Premier

Citizen Premier — Sun, 25 Mar 2007 00:51:18 -0800

You like this painting I made? WELL THE JOKES ON YOU! IT'S A BAD PAINTING! HA HA HA!!!

By: RayOrama

RayOrama — Sun, 25 Mar 2007 00:55:22 -0800

You know, I don't really understand what "the hoax" was all about. Jerdanowitch was was rejecting and mocking modern art and the world that surrounded it; much like Punk rockers rebeled against a bloated and self-satisfied music industry in the 1970s. He was commenting on his times and that, in and of itself, is artistic self-expression. His little "joke"is even more vindicated now, when you consider the Pop Art movement that was yet to follow, and which was considered a "true" school of art. Andy Warhol had nothing on this guy.

By: Afroblanco

Afroblanco — Sun, 25 Mar 2007 01:11:05 -0800

When sincerity falls flat, there is something really gross about it. You do realize that this statement justifies my entire generation.

By: painquale

painquale — Mon, 26 Mar 2007 00:57:40 -0800

92 percent on the quiz. The only one I got wrong was the Klee... but when I saw it I thought, "That looks a lot like a Klee, but it's not obviously a Klee (like the Rothko is obviously a Rothko)... so it's probably an imitation of a Klee meant as a trap." I overthought it and deked myself out -- shoulda gone with the gut. Stupid Iocaine powder shennanigans get the best of me every time. I really hate the "my child could have drawn this!" reaction to modern art. Art is nothing without context. You can't expect to like a painting unless you know how it's responding to prior generations of artists. Those who deride modern art don't understand where it's coming from and don't care. They want a piece of art to explain itself, as if it's giving a lecture or monologue. But engaging in visual art (or listening to music, or reading literature or philosophy, etc.) is more like listening in on a dialogue with the whole of cultural history. If you don't know what one side is saying, you'll never be able to eavesdrop.

By: goodglovin77

goodglovin77 — Mon, 26 Mar 2007 03:10:54 -0800

pri vet!

By: Civil_Disobedient

Civil_Disobedient — Mon, 26 Mar 2007 03:56:53 -0800

92% correct. And I detest abstract impressionism.

By: seanyboy

seanyboy — Mon, 26 Mar 2007 03:55:36 -0800

This makes me an angry penguin.

By: seanyboy

seanyboy — Mon, 26 Mar 2007 04:25:17 -0800

The symbols were evident, Though on park-gates The iron birds looked disapproval With rusty invidious beaks.

By: Phanx

Phanx — Mon, 26 Mar 2007 05:27:29 -0800

You can't expect to like a painting unless you know how it's responding to prior generations of artists. I can and do - just as I would with a book or a piece of music. Knowing art history may enhance my enjoyment, but it's not essential. More than happy for you to enjoy your dialogue with cultural history, but that's a second-order thing, not what visual art is. A good piece of art may be part of art history, but that's not what makes it good, any more than being part of the history of cooking is what makes a bacon sandwich worth having.

By: Meatbomb

Meatbomb — Mon, 26 Mar 2007 05:56:09 -0800

Faulkner, to my eye mind in staring focused deeply, bullshit and mystery thrust as is German machine translation onto screen.

By: bashos_frog

bashos_frog — Mon, 26 Mar 2007 05:56:17 -0800

A good piece of art may be part of art history, but that's not what makes it good, any more than being part of the history of cooking is what makes a bacon sandwich worth having. QFT If we didn't know the cultural connections to Elvis, would a deep-fried peanut-butter and bacon sandwich still taste so good?

By: InnocentBystander

InnocentBystander — Mon, 26 Mar 2007 09:21:28 -0800

Despite having never really studied art, and not particularly liking anything past the surrealists, I got an 83% on the test just going through it quickly and following my gut. That said, in my estimation, the only one of "Jerdanowitch's" paintings I think shows any talent is Illumination. Accidental or not, I think he stumbled upon something fairly remarkable there.

By: painquale

painquale — Mon, 26 Mar 2007 11:26:50 -0800

I can and do - just as I would with a book or a piece of music. Knowing art history may enhance my enjoyment, but it's not essential. I disagree... I think you've just got a lot more tacit knowledge of music and painting and literature than you realize. Elvis and jazz and rock would have sounded terrible to Bach; Joyce and Faulkner and Nabokov would have been offensively bad to Augustine. Cultural priming has secretly given you an education in finding value in the things you like.

By: adipocere

adipocere — Mon, 26 Mar 2007 13:55:36 -0800

I like the old fashioned, representational art, and never felt that it was "killed by the invention of the camera." I even liked the surreal stuff. But I lost interest in modern art when an art major told me that the "mere art object" is no longer important. "Anyone can learn technique and the purely mechanical." What was important, I was told, was the critical reaction to art. "What do important people say about this piece?" I began to notice that attitude elsewhere. At this point I moved from a bewildered, "I don't get it, but maybe we should fund it" stance to an outright dislike of modern art, as I can no longer look at it without envisioning a copy of Vogue, with large empty white rectangles, and Glass Bead Game-like critiques of critiques of critiques of the Emperor's new clothes.

By: cccorlew

cccorlew — Mon, 26 Mar 2007 14:18:14 -0800

Missed 1 one the FAKE ART quiz. So there...

By: painquale

painquale — Mon, 26 Mar 2007 14:52:04 -0800

You know that time when the Emperor was going to show off his new clothes but came out naked instead? That was a brilliant and subversive piece of performance art. Love it, plebs!

By: The Card Cheat

The Card Cheat — Mon, 26 Mar 2007 16:54:36 -0800

42% here, but then I have a long-standing dislike of the modern art world, dating back to my grade school days when I was hauled in front of this during a field trip. This all reminds me of The Sokal Affair, which also tickled me pink. / suck it, loverz

By: scody

scody — Mon, 26 Mar 2007 20:08:28 -0800

A cool 100% on the true vs. fake quiz. MY MODERN ART KNOWLEDGE IS UNSTOPPABLE!!!!!!!!!1