Amateur Art Critics Reveal Which Masterpiece They Just Can't Stand
Everybody is a critic. That is just a human given in life. Everybody has an opinion on everything! We all believe we are walking, talking reincarnations of true artists. And we always love to share our thoughts aloud. Art is subjective and it is many things for many people, whether it be a painting, a book, a film or 'popular' piece of music, one's personal favorite "art" may not appeal to the masses. And half the time it's the classics, the ordained 'Masterpieces' we loathe the most.
Redditor B0hpp wanted everyone to share What is something considered a "Masterpiece" that you just can't seem to enjoy and afraid to admit it?
THE HUMBLE BEGINNINGS!
My daughter's first time drawing our family.
Reddit jumped in with their thoughts on a handmade family portrait.
I'm so looking forward to the first time my daughter draws something identifiable. Right now it's scribbles and occasionally she says "this is the sun!" It's not even a sun.
With my middle son it went from scribbles to giant robots battling Godzilla in what seemed like overnight.
And not 'giant robots fighting Godzilla' because that's what he told us it was, but pick it up after he's done and go 'oh, wow, yeah, that's the 1980s era Godzilla, you can tell by the head profile and the shoulders, and those robots are pretty neat, the way he drew the one with four legs you can see how it would actually walk around...'
WHO IS SHE ANYWAY?
The Mona Lisa. meh.
Seems Lisa may not be so popular with plenty of people.
I wish this one) was in the limelight more. I was in the building as National Geographic was trying to uncover it. Way more interesting than the Mona Lisa.
Not even my favourite painting by da Vinci.
"Lady with Ermine" is much better.
FRANKLY MY DEAR... I DON'T GIVE A DAMN!
'Gone With the Wind.' It's so long and left me feeling miserable at the end. I told a co worker this once and she acted like I murdered her child in front of her.
It seems a few people take issue with Scarlett... particularly her story's length.
I love GWTW but it's 4 hours long. And no one in it is a nice person. I joke with people that it's a film made to be endured, rather than enjoyed. Would still kill for Scarlett O'Hara's wardrobe though.
I will never forget my husband's reaction to that movie: WHAT DO YOU MEAN THERE'S AN INTERMISSION???!??!???
heh. We were in our dating stage back then (a theater brought the movie back for limited run, which I was really excited about, and dragged him to). I guarantee 20 years in, he'd be like "Nah, that's ok hon, I think I'll pass."
LET YOUR HEART GO ON!!
The Titanic! I live where it was built and holy crap they are still in love with it. I get it guys, you built a big boat over 100 years ago. It sank. What have you done since then? Seriously, move on!
You are right. There have been many ships that have sunk since then with wayyy more lives lost than the Titanic but why aren't they more famous? It's all the little things...
-Largest ship in the world -_"Unsinkable ship" _-Both rich and poor were on the boat -Speeding up to make it to NYC faster than expected -Maiden voyage -It was Captain Smith's last voyage before retirement -Hitting of the iceberg -Where it sank - middle of the Atlantic with almost no one around who could help so they were basically all alone -The time it took to sink (2.5 hours - the length of a good play) -How the ship broke into two pieces -The ice cold water (had it happened in the summer, the loss of life would be minimal as people could have just floated and waited for help. They had plenty of life vests, just not enough life boats, but the water was 28 degrees F. They say you can survive about 15 minutes in water that cold).
I actually just visited the Titanic museum in Pigeon Forge, TN and they had a part where you are out on the "deck" and you can put your hand over the ship and feel how cold the water was that night. I remember thinking I could handle it but was shocked when I dipped my hand in the water and I couldn't stand more than 2-3 seconds before it began to physically hurt.
It is a very interesting story
NOT ALL CLASSIC LITERATURE HOLDS UP.
Moby Dick ... that book pissed me off... seemed like a great story at first and then like 90% of the book was like whale migration patterns and documenting whales, and then the last 10 pages was "and then we found the white whale and killed him."
IT JUST MAKES NO SENSE....
Any Jackson Pollock.
My art teacher in high school described Jackson Pollock paintings as something that anyone could do but no one did, until he did it. Which is why he's considered 'innovative'. I think they look cool but there are definitely greater works of art.
I find Kurosawa films kinda the same. I watch them and go "What's the big deal?" and then you realize just how old they are and what most films around that time looked like.
TIME FOR HARD TRUTH...
Shakespeare. There. I said it. My sister is an English lit major working at a library. I can't say it in front of her and I've been dying to admit it. I feel lighter already.
I tried reading Shakespeare. I found my favorite versions of it were the annotated versions in my high school texts. Maybe it's because it was my first exposure to it but I loved reading the footnotes where some words or backstory got explained or even mistakes revealed, such as Marc Antony saying his heart was in the coffin with Caesar but (oops) the Romans typically burned their dead.
It really added layers to it that I miss in other texts.
LISTEN CLOSER...
I've heard Kendrick Lamar's albums described as masterpieces, but I can't seem to understand the hype around them. I actually got bizarrely hostile reactions when I casually mentioned this in conversation the other day. I'm still totally open to hearing other people's POV on the matter though.
Understandable viewpoint. I like Kendrick because i think he really does a fantastic job of tackling issues in his music, especially with race relations. Plus his flow is absolutely amazing. His verse on "THat Part (Black Hippy Remix)" is genius.
To pimp a butterfly is a hard listen.
I got into him with section 80 and good kid madd city, after those i stopped "getting it" very different sounds.
I would check those out if you like older rap, very much reminded me of Tupac.
ART COMES IN ALL SHAPES AND SIZES...
Those "abstract" paintings, also cubism and all that stuff. Honestly just looks like the artist is going cray cray.
I didn't get it either, until i went to a museum where it showed you the whole progression from early paintings, to renaissance, romanticism, modernism, cubism, etc... all together and suddenly it clicked.
I hate how art generally gets presented as single masterpieces alone in a museum divorced from context. It's like trying to show a single frame of a Simpson's episode without context and trying to understand why it's significant.
Paintings are all part of a constant conversation, and each new set of frames is a follow-up to the last ones - and they're all informed by stuff like who painted them, why, for who, etc... and you lose most of the meaning without that.
This is why its so hard to get into visual art. How do you get into the conversation?
I think going to a museum to see an exhibit is a great way, but many people see it as daunting or uninteresting. It's a high barrier to entry, I suppose.
Friendly Fire
"FRIENDS."
Holy Hell, it's worshipped everywhere. I've watched all the seasons seriously and I still can't remember any moments when I genuinely laughed, bar some.
It's like a stereotype - if you haven't watched "FRIENDS" and/or don't like FRIENDS, you can't appreciate sitcoms.
Then again, I'm the kind of guy who'd prefer Seinfeld over "FRIENDS."
Real life contains the scariest horrors you could ask for. So aren't we all living in a horror movie, in a way? At least, these people sure freakin' were.
MisterSnowman69 asked: What was a moment in your life that felt like a horror movie scene?
In the words of the legendary Mary Vivian Pierce in the film Pink Flamingos, “Murder merely relieves tension”. I’m sure the following Redditors felt differently.
Nothing scarier than the woods at night.
Went into a real deep woods hike for only the second time in my life.
My gps broke and had to rely on my compass. Got turned around a few times because I couldn't remember the direction I came from, and it was getting dark. Lost the trail way.
But the woods are weirdly silent in the dark and alone.
It was around 2am by the time I found the trailhead.
Darn foxes.
the simpsons react GIFGiphyMy friend and I got lost late on one foggy night in the Italian countryside. There were rats all over and every once in a while we heard someone scream.
I've never been more sure I was about to get murdered than I was that night.
It was probably a red fox that was screaming.
Could've also been a lynx, but they are much rarer in Italy.
At least she wasn’t speaking in tongues.
My mom is quite the sleep talker, but it's usually pretty short and incoherent when it happens. One night as a teenager, I woke up to her scream-yelling the Hail Mary prayer (my bedroom was across the house and upstairs).
Difficult to get back to sleep after that one.
Sometimes scary sh*t ends up just being funny coincidences. Super funny. Right?
Don’t give them any ideas.
I was exploring an abandoned mental asylum and then got the scare of my life when a scary looking person inside one of the rooms was just staring at me without moving. Turns out some joker had left a cardboard cutout there.
And now I have plans this weekend... Just need to find a couple of cardboard cutouts and to break into the local abandoned asylum.
Don’t you hate when that happens?
Evil Dead Horror GIF by Coolidge Corner TheatreGiphyI was driving home on backcountry roads at midnight in heavy fog. Like can't see 10 feet in front of you thick. Suddenly I see an all-white silhouette running in front of the car. Every hair on my body stood up. I immediately think "oh god, oh f*ck, it's a f*cking woman in white, I'm gonna f*cking die"
Nope just a drunk who dove into the ditch.
Gotta love paranoia.
When I was about 12, my parents went out for dinner leaving me home alone. We lived out in the country, on a private road with only three other houses, surrounded by cow fields and wooded areas.
I went into the the kitchen and glanced out the window towards the trees and there in the fading light I could see a person walking slowly through the woods. They were wearing all black, moving slowly and appeared to pause behind trees. My heart started pounding so hard in my ears I couldn't hear anything else and I was weak and shaky from fear. I froze and just watched them. Would they come to the house? Where were they going?
This was before cell phones but I suddenly remembered my mom had left the number of the restaurant by the living room phone. Slowly, I made my way towards the living room, trying to watch this stranger in the woods.
Just as I entered the living room, all the lights in the entire house went out. By this time it was nearly dark outside. I started openly sobbing and in the dark I heard a weird boom like noise. That was it, I ran to my parents room, hid under their bed and sobbed. That's where my mom found me hours later (it felt like).
Well, turns out the stranger in the woods was a stupid cow that had busted through a fence, the lights going out was from an accident a few miles away (hit the power line) and the boom was the pilot light in the gas stove. Man, I have never been that scared in my life though!
I have a lot of questions.
A naked man who was covered in blood chased me across a park at 2 in the morning. I was totally alone. He just wanted money for a bus (????) and luckily nothing bad happened but I thought I was going to die.
But of course, the genuine horrors do exist. And they aren’t scary in a fun horror movie way, they’re actually terrifying because they can happen to anyone.
A scary few seconds.
car chase GIF by Mayans M.C.GiphyI am a "baby" in a car seat in between cousins in backseat. Dad is driving. This is in the 80s and it is my aunt's insistence that I am in this seat even though I am like 5.
A sleeping semi driver is coming over into our lane and there is a cliff on other side. Basically my dad did some amazing driving but semi blew us up. I am uninjured sitting in the seat swinging my legs while everyone is unconscious. They all wake groaning. Dad doesnt wake up.
Long story short just minor scrapes and dad has broken leg. But the crunch of metal and those few seconds/minute of being the only "alive" person was quite fear inducing.
Glad they’re all ok now.
Two days after my now boyfriend told me he liked me he fell from a zip line and broke his back. Almost died. 6 months later he got into a car wreck from a drunk driver - almost died. 6 months after that, he passed out and had to have emergency brain surgery, again, almost died. I now have severe anxiety/separation anxiety/and ptsd. That whole year was a f*cking nightmare
Edit: we're both okay now, the brain injury was almost a year ago. But TBIs take a while to heal so he still has side effects. Thankfully our relationship is still strong; he's physically getting better and I'm healing emotionally too. Lucky for him, the trauma of the injuries has caused him to forget the majority of the pain and memories of those incidents.
ALWAYS wear a helmet.
Driving home from work at 23, listening to my favorite song.
I pull up to a red light, and see this guy on a motorcycle coming up next to me in the other lane. I rolled down my window to compliment his bike when he stops. He doesn't, and runs the red light. He hits a car going at least 55mph. His motorcycle shatters apart, he goes flying, hits the hood of another car, and lands on the ground and rolls into the curb (no helmet). The car he hit with his motorcycle was totaled. I had to step over his body to talk to the police. He was still alive when they got there. I regret not holding his hand. It was just a normal day, and all of a sudden it felt like the rug was pulled from out beneath me. He was only 18.
Edit: The song was Sunny by Boney M., for those curious
What did we learn today, kids? Foxes scream like humans, shadowy figures are usually cows or drunken rednecks, and once again, PLEASE WEAR A HELMET WHEN YOU RIDE ANY KIND OF BIKE.
Scary sh*t surrounds us. But where there is horror, there are heroes. So next time you think you see a scary figure in the woods, know that Bruce Campbell is probably right around the corner
Hypocrisy is everywhere; it's like a disease. And sadly everyone does it. Some of us indulge in smaller doses than others. But some people live their life by it. Like how can you support civil servants, like police, firefighters, etc... yet try to find ways to hide money in order to not pay taxes? Tell me... I'll wait.
Manga...
Hungry Night Court GIF by LaffGiphyItalian moms that say you're too fat then say I'm making grandma cry by not finishing my pasta.
Asian moms too! Not only that if you try to not eat, they make to go containers for you. Oh, sorry I have to leave, RUNS AT LEAST HAVE SOME FRUIT.
Phonies...
Celebrities positioning themselves as champions for social justice while launching a clothing line with no comment on the labor conditions their garments are made in.
Sexy Times...
The Porn Industry
Why is prostitution considered a crime, but it becomes perfectly legal once a camera is put beside them?
I think the first amendment helps with that one. There's been many a supreme-court case about whether porn is protected speech.
Mirror, Mirror on the Wall...
You can get away with WAY more crap, in general, when you're attractive.
But we all kind of aspire to attractiveness and it's not like it's attractive people's fault, exactly. So what is there to be done?
So true. Money and beauty are treated like virtues and they aren't. They're luck of the draw. It probably helps you to be a better person if people assume that you are gentle and clever just by looking at your face or wallet.
KIDS
GIF by MOODMANGiphyPeople screaming at you if you don't want Kids and Kids are the greatest thing in the World and then turn around and whine how expensive they are and how annoying yadda yadda.
Yeah see... humans are a mess. And too often then not, personal conviction and dignity are just a myth, or a punchline. Double standards have always been a way of life. And many of us have begrudgingly learned to navigate.
Fashion
Fashion Model GIF by NYFW: The ShowsGiphyIf a skinny person wears something out of the ordinary, it's a fashion statement and awesome. It can even just be something like a crop top or overalls.
But God forbid a fat person wear the same thing.
Distractions
The hypocrisy hypocrisy. People love to call it out but rarely notice it on themselves and if they notice it then it's something completely different or a distraction.
That's the worst. I hate that I have to hate that. But if I don't hate it, then the hate will just continue. So, really, my hate comes from my love of an end to hate. So anyone who hates my hate hates love. And we must hate anyone who hates love!
My Morality
My own personal hypocrisy; When I was a lot less well off financially, delivering pizzas trying to get through college, I kept a cup of coins in my car. When a homeless person would approach me for spare change, I gave them the cup. Most of the time it was nearly full, so there was probably 20-30 dollars in there.
Now that I have a good salaried job, even if I've got a few bucks in my wallet, I tend to not even make eye contact anymore. I know it's awful, I know it makes me crappy, but the last 4-5 years have made me a jaded craphead towards people in general. I used to be so hopeful and I wanted to help everyone, and tried to live a life that reflected that.
Now, while my general and political morality is pretty much the same, my personal morality has gotten more grey. I'd jaded, I hate people, I assume the worst of people I used to assume the best of. I don't really care about the strangers around me like I used to, but I still expect everyone else to.
Placing Blame
Victim mentality.
It's so freaking frustrating when it becomes entrenched. "You did this, it's your fault" "you should've known to do x, its your fault" Yeah bro your problems aren't my problems and if all you do is make excuses and blame me for them, it's not going to be my fault when you don't develop as a person and accomplish your dreams. I'm sure they'll find someone to blame though.
In D.C.
Donald Trump Reaction GIF by Election 2016GiphyPoliticians work part time, are given free housing, education, and health care, and exempt from the everyday violence we experience, but refuse to lift a finger to help us.
At this points most people running for a position in the government are only in it for the benefits of being a politician and the amount of money they can embezzle. Well in my country at least.
Just speak a truth and live it. Yes, it maybe hard. But what part of life isn't? Hypocrisy is just lying. Plain and simple. And it's a sin to lie.
Want to "know" more? Never miss another big, odd, funny, or heartbreaking moment again. Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.