Understanding the Ununderstandable Mood

British artist Jake Chapman has said taking children to art galleries is a "total waste of time". He said  parents were "arrogant" for thinking their children could understand artists like Mark Rothko or Jackson Pollock.

I'd go further - no-one but Rothko, Pollock or psychiatrists can understand Rothko or Pollock - or indeed the Chapman brothers. Anyone who says otherwise is fooling themselves.

Rothko 

Pollock 

An understandable Pollock

While we were in Latvia, Hay wanted to visit the Rothko museum in Daugavpils (Rothko was Latvian). Luckily it was a 3 hour drive from where we were staying, so we didn't go. In any case, if you've seen one Rothko, not much is gained by seeing another - it's a bit like seeing a wall covered with Dulux testers. The same can't be said as strongly for Pollock, although many were a bit samey.

Hay agrees with Chapman that some people visit an art gallery for some peace and quiet, which is hard to find with children (or me) being present and volubly ridiculing the said "artworks". I contend children tend to see through the arty bullshit and prick the pseudo-intellectual, self-conceit of many so-called artists.

If something is ununderstandable, could it just be standable?

In another news story, Dell Research says it is working on mood-reading software that could be ready for sale within the next three years. I wonder what it will make of on-line Daily Mail readers...