Rooney: When Did This Become Art?

(CBS)  This segment was originally broadcast on Jan. 2, 2005.

The following is a weekly 60 Minutes commentary by correspondent Andy Rooney.

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There are a lot of know-nothing boobs who don't appreciate the modern art being put up in public places in our cities.

I know this is true because I'm one of those know-nothing boobs. When did bright-colored plastic cows, pigs and rabbits get to be art?

I don't like most of the stuff passing for art and it's everywhere.

Seattle. Chicago. Sure, Chicago. Hog butcher to the world.

San Diego. Bloomington, Ill., for goodness sake!

Cincinnati. The people looking were better looking than what they were looking at.

Kansas City. Washington D.C. It makes as much sense as the politicians.

Plainview, Texas. Another culture center. Providence, R.I.

Memphis, Tenn. This was done to honor Martin Luther King. It's called "I've Been To The Mountain." I'm an admirer of everything Martin Luther King stood for, but I don't think he would have stood for this.

In New York, Lincoln Center has the best opera, the best ballet, and the best symphony orchestra. Is this Mickey Mouse sculpture out front really in an artistic league with what goes on inside?

One piece is named "Two Indeterminate Lines." I may not understand art, but I understand the English language, and that's pretentious nonsense.

Does every open space have to be filled in? Is anything better looking than nothing would be? I don't think so.

Sculptor Richard Serra's work called "Tilted Arc" was put up at a cost of $175,000. It's a leaning slab of rusting metal.

There was a war in New York between people who hated it and people who accused them of being culturally deprived. "Tilted Arc" was taken down, cut in three pieces and stored. Take that, arty arc.

A writer ought to be able to write simple sentences before he tries to be a poet. I want to see something traditional that a sculptor has done - something I can understand - before he gets a license to do this.

Picasso earned the right to do anything he wants. His work is art whether I think so or not.

Whoever did one particular painting suffers either from a functional disorder of the mind or he's putting us on.

What beneficial effect does this have on our brains that makes it worth putting in a public place?

I understand perfectly well that good art is always ahead of public taste. Most of this stuff is certainly ahead of my taste. I don't like it. If I'm wrong, I'm sure you'll correct me.
By Andy Rooney

[davetwo1]

Andy:

When did "CATS" become theater?

[lisamcolwell]

context is a word that some people never understand, for a variety of reasons. context is not subjective and is therefore disregarded by those that cannot see beyond their own reality.
not everyone is an artist and thankfully, people are capable of change.

[lisamcolwell]

context is a word that some people never understand, for a variety of reasons. context is not subjective and is therefore disregarded by those that cannot see beyond their own reality.
not everyone is an artist and thankfully, people are capable of change.

[dgrevolver]

Andy - I think that you slipped up a bit on this one. Your comments regarding art in public might have merit when you are discussing sculptures of cows that appear to have stampeded from some neighborhood art fair. Richard Serra''s "Tilted Arc", however, is not fair game. Serra, though not as well known as Picasso, equals his stature in the academic, institutional, and historical pantheon of art and he is recognized as one of the original leaders of Minimalism, a seminal art movement emerging in the 1960%u2019s. While one may agree that the placement of "Tilted Arc" was not ideal, part of Serra''s manifesto rests in the ability of art to confront. But, since common sense should take precedent in any situation, perhaps moving it was the right solution. Still, you must recall the controversy over Maya Lin''s minimal design for the Vietnam War Memorial. Her resulting monument has drawn millions of visitors and there is now unanimous acceptance of its universal emotional impact and appeal. The more traditional sculpture that Congress insisted on erecting nearby is virtually ignored. The problem with your very generalized comments is that they fan the flames of hostility to the arts. We are already left with virtually no arts education in our public schools, the NEA is under constant assault, and museum directors have been charged with obscenity violations. As a fan of 25 years, I hope I am right that you wouldn%u2019t want to contribute to any of these trends. Thanks, David Gilbert.

[dgrevolver]

Andy - I think that you slipped up a bit on this one. Your comments regarding art in public might have merit when you are discussing sculptures of cows that appear to have stampeded from some neighborhood art fair. Richard Serra''s "Tilted Arc", however, is not fair game. Serra, though not as well known as Picasso, equals his stature in the academic, institutional, and historical pantheon of art and he is recognized as one of the original leaders of Minimalism, a seminal art movement emerging in the 1960%u2019s. While one may agree that the placement of "Tilted Arc" was not ideal, part of Serra''s manifesto rests in the ability of art to confront. But, since common sense should take precedent in any situation, perhaps moving it was the right solution. Still, you must recall the controversy over Maya Lin''s minimal design for the Vietnam War Memorial. Her resulting monument has drawn millions of visitors and there is now unanimous acceptance of its universal emotional impact and appeal. The more traditional sculpture that Congress insisted on erecting nearby is virtually ignored. The problem with your very generalized comments is that they fan the flames of hostility to the arts. We are already left with virtually no arts education in our public schools, the NEA is under constant assault, and museum directors have been charged with obscenity violations. As a fan of 25 years, I hope I am right that you wouldn%u2019t want to contribute to any of these trends. Thanks, David Gilbert.

[chstrdrwz]

the human brain has the capacity to work in a multitude of strange and interesting ways. in most people, it does not. those who do allow it to roam, however, can remind us to take one step to the side and not take ourselves (or art in general) so seriously. have a sense of humor and encourage weirdness instead of ridiculing or sidelineing it.

[towercam]

Andy Rooney has stayed too long at the fair. Andy Rooney should have quit several years ago. He used to have some sense. Now he''s just a mean old coward, griping about everything, afraid to begin the rest of his life. It''s easy to find fault in almost anything. Even I could do a better 5 minute segment! Andy Rooney is no longer an asset, but a liability. Rooney makes CBS look incompetent and unprofessional. Go home, Andy. Stay there.

[mginsberg196]

Andy- I think you were 100% on target last night. I am far from a Philistine. My wife got me into art when we are dating (museums can be very romantic) and we take our eight year old daughter, who looks almost exactly like the model for Madamoiselle LeGrand by Renoir, to museums on a regular basis. I love the works of artists ranging from Monet to Kandinsky to Edward Hopper to the glass work of Dale Chihuly and my lovely ladies have their own favorites.

That said, I get a real kick out of modern art because, quite frankly, I just don''t get most of it. Every time we go to a new museum I check out the modern art wing and try to figure out why most of this stuff is in a museum. Last year, at our Philadelphia Museum of Art, I saw a broken metal chair against a wall- nothing fancy, just an all purpose folding chair that was missing a leg. My wife figured they hadn''t gotten around to throwing it out and she turned beet red when I went over to the security guard and said "Let me guess- that''s a piece of art called "Broken Chair". I almost passed out when she told me I was correct and pointed out a sign on the wall that confirmed what she was saying.

I often get the feeling that much of this stuff is just waiting for an innocent child to point out that "the Emporer is naked" while artphiles stand and wonder at the "genius" of the artist in question.

[dochavoc67]

It seems that the goal of most modern ''artists'' is to see how many people their creations can offend, with the assessment of success based on the number of square, non-arty people that find the junk distasteful. Calling this stuff art is like calling rap ''music''. As asper4 said, "Talk about the Emperor''s new clothes." Amen to that! (Oops! Sorry to all the lefties for bringing religion into the discussion...)

[wonderfulyfe]

Hi Andy. I bet some modern artists and lovers will throw back their heads and howl. (cover your ears Andy)

Yes, Andy I do understand your point of view. I %u201Cdoodle%u201D myself and often feel guilty to even call it my %u201Cart.%u201D But it is fun. Maybe the definition of %u201Cart%u201D has changed. As an art lover, I find it all so fascinating.

Andy, I sometimes think what has happened is that as life has become more complicated, people desire a minimalist lifestyle and works of art. Our heads are cluttered with so much %u201Cnoise%u201D now, life often stressful, that people desire to live in open spaces with little or nothing just for a sense of peace. Keeping everything simple. It%u201Ds a reflection of our society. We cannot focus on too much detail anymore.

Therefore, the appeal of simplistic modern art. Maybe.

Styles come and go. Perhaps this is just a %u201Cphase.%u201D I don%u201Dt know.

But %u201Cbeauty is in the eye of the beholder.%u201D

However, in the end I feel there is nothing like the %u201Creal thing%u201D, enjoying the breathtaking sights and sounds of the glorious ocean, the real mountains, beautiful gardens, open grassy fields and magnificent wildlife etc.

I feel %u201CLiving Masterpieces%u201D truly touch the heart. %u201CIt%u201D never goes out of style. I love it!

Thank you for the smiles Andy. You do make me laugh.


%u201CTrying to understand modern art is like trying to follow the plot in a bowl of alphabet soup%u201D