Why is modern art hated so much?

Answer 1

It is time to define our terms.

First, we must define "modern." Modern is a term that encompasses artwork roughly from the time of the American Civil War to the Vietnam War. Work after that is dubbed Postmodern or Contemporary.

Second, we must agree on what one means by "hate." There can be a range of adverse emotional reactions to artwork, from a superficial dislike of the aesthetic to strong moral objections to the content.

Many viewers who approach a work of art expecting an easy answer or merely a visually pleasing experience will be disappointed by many works of modern art. They want to be entertained, not to work. Modern art tends to challenge the status quo, as new ideas tend to do. That said, there is a tendency for modern art to carry an "emperor's new clothes" feeling. It allows for an air of elitism to surround the gallery, for those "uncultured and uneducated" folks to be kept in the dark.

Modern art is an enormously diverse category, and it has much to say. Whether one likes it or not, modern art tells us things about ourselves. We must be willing to listen, and then to give it right back.

Answer 2

I think people hate modern art because it's easy to hate things that are new. It's also easy to poo-poo an idea that is complex or hard to grasp, because it's easier to stay within your own comfort zone of your beliefs and aesthetic sensibilities than to challenge yourself to understand someone else's perspective.

There are no technical reasons why modern art should be hated. I think people also reject modern art because certain very famous artists make a lot of money doing something that to the untrained or uncritical eye seems incredibly easy, something that requires no talent or imagination. So, there's a devaluing of artistic intent in that way as well; like the people who complain, "My kid could paint that!" In a sense it seems like a sort of jealousy that other people can make tons of money doing something that "anyone" could do.

I have to admit, I used to hate modern art until I started studying it more. Obviously, people are allowed their own preferences and point of view in art, but it is important to at least give mediums or styles that you typically don't like a second chance in order to be surprised. Odds are most people just don't have an interest in art enough to try and "get" something out of modern art, and would rather complain about how pointless it is because it's easier.