Why a Painting Is Like a Pizza: A Guide to Understanding and Enjoying Modern Art Book

This book fails in it's subtitle: I still do not understand or enjoy modern art. What I most don't understand is how some of it can be considered art.

I confess I didn't finish the book - it got too ridiculous for me. Some of the things like the canvases painted a solid color may be fine if you just want something to hang over the couch which doesn't clash, but as a piece of art meant to stand on its own, I don't buy it. (Literally.) In my opinion, such things should be studies for elements of more traditional art works.

She tries to make the point that oh look, when Impressionism was new, it was avant-garde and people didn't like it and look how many people like it now? You'll like this stuff later. Nope. I'm not buying it. I don't really like the Impressionists either. That was how the world looked to me until I got glasses in seventh grade. I don't buy a school of eye from myopic painters.

This book was recommended by a friend, and he got something of use out of it. I had to quit when she started introducing older representational art by the masters. That is what I prefer to view.

I am also reminded of an old episode of "Bosom Buddies," which was the first starring role for Tom Hanks. His character is in an art gallery and the very pretentious artist is trying to put meaning into his canvas, a solid white rectangle with a large red circle in the middle. Having heard enough malarkey, Hanks' character bursts out with "It's the flag of Japan!" That's how I feel about much of this stuff.