Creativity you do like

[seahermit]

Yes, the Mona Lisa is over-rated - still very beautiful though and I was captivated when I stood in front of it.

There is no doubt in my mind that our "modern art" will be largely regarded by future historians as a bum period in art history. We are good on technology - on aesthetics, taste, sensitivity, sheer cultural awareness, we compare badly with previous centuries. Artistic/creative ability has become debased and poorly regarded, humans are good at jabbing buttons but are losing all their hands-on creative skills.

There are many exceptions of course and I'm sure Richard will leap to assail my generalisations! But I do think we are in a rather Philistine and backward age culturally, when compared to the enormous architectural/artistic achievements of the past.

All things change. They go in natural cycles. There will hopefully be future bursts of excellence or originality in music (like the 1960's?), literature, art as new generations arise.

[Richard]

Art and music seem so impersonal now.
You just download tracks or buy CD's online.
Nothing compares to the excitement of buying a vinyl record in times gone by.
Album covers were often creative and interesting.

It seems that something different 'the shock of the new' is what people want.
Something that hasn't been done before.
In the world of furniture, warehouses full of well-crafted beautiful pieces are neglected.
People just want modern reproduction with machined joints and high gloss finishes.
Or 1970's Retro pieces.

Yet Art (post religious and bourgeois painting) has always thrived on new trends and innovations.
Turner created some pretty startling paintings in his day, leading to Impressionism.
Picasso was probably much more avant guard (artwork that breaks with precedent and is regarded as innovative and boundaries-pushing) than any recent dabblings.
Regarding the likes of Tracy Emin, I have to say that she certainly can talk the talk and walk the walk whatever you may think of her abilities.

[seahermit]

That's just it! The whole point about art/literature/music is that it is largely about communication with other humans - moods, emotions, messages, entertainment, whatever .. if you sit in your garret and paint/write/strum a a song solely for yourself and it never sees the light of day, then ... what exactly is the point? Even if your music gets onto a CD, your audience is just pressing buttons to hear it - nothing personal about that, no "raw emotion" (ghastly phrase but I can't think of a better one for now!).

I still buy CDs sometimes, although buying vinyl brings more feeling of "immediacy" to some people and comes closer to their image of the band playing in a studio whilst the tape recorder goes round - enhanced by the wonderful album covers. Peter Blake's Sergeant Pepper is my favourite. But what can possibly compare with the buzz of a live band/jazz band/orchestra in front of you, playing at their best? I much prefer live recordings of concerts to studio recordings - technically not so good and often you'll hear a dud note or a fluffed line, but they have that spontaneity and tension which can only arise from performing in front of a critical audience.

Modern furniture - aargh! Most of it is chipboard with imitation wood-finish veneer, falls apart after a few years. Many people are paying high prices for what is really trash - why do humans not have any appreciation of quality and craftsmanship anymore?

[Richard]

Communication with other human beings?

I remember the Beatles playing on a rooftop in 1969, the last time they ever played together.
The concert ended with the conclusion of "Get Back", with John Lennon joking:
"I'd like to say thank you on behalf of the group and ourselves and I hope we've passed the audition."