96% of passers-by ignore famous artist's street painting

I found this video funny and fascinating for several reasons. First of all, it documents that a painting created by a famous and talented artist on the streets of Antwerp will be ignored. Taken out of the the context of an artistic environment, almost no one notices (much less appreciates) the art.

Secondly, it is funny (or sad) to hear art lovers' fervent belief (or delusion) that a work from a famous artist placed upon the street will cause people hurrying about their day to stop and suddenly appreciate art. One art professional predicts that 90% of passersby will stop to gaze upon the work. Another thinks people will be perplexed and confused that the art has come into their lives in this way. Another believes people will be stopped and awoken from the stupor of their daily lives.

Of course, the reality is that virtually no one notices the artwork on the street, which is either a sad commentary on our inability to enjoy unexpected beauty, or perhaps it speaks to painting's (or this painting's) lack of relevance to the masses. I suspect the filmmaker intended to point out the former, but I wonder if the reality isn't the latter. Art comes in many forms, and painting lost much of its broad appeal after the introduction of photography. Nor was it helped much in terms of public acceptance when Jackson Pollock dripped paint onto canvas or Andy Warhol captured a tomato soup can.

Of course, it's possible people may have ignored this particular painting since the artist chose to create a work that referenced a diorama from a Japanese fertility museum that featured monkeys copulating. No, I'm not joking. This strikes me as incredibly ironic, considering the man was earlier praised for his ability to "tell the truth," his bravery in tackling "difficult subject matter," and his relevance. (Yes, I may be a cretin, but I cannot help but wonder if, rather than humans, had horny monkeys been walking down that street, maybe they might've stopped to appreciate the painting's difficult subject matter and relevance.)

The last reason I found this video worthwhile is the humorously pretentious interview given by Amy Cappellazzo, the Head of Contemporary Art at Christie's. Others are interviewed and sound passionate but sensible about the artist. But the language Amy uses is almost comical, as if Will Ferrell is about to appear, portraying the artist. She says, "He's not obvious or simplistic or reductive in his message. There's always something subterranean below the surface that lurks that has tremendous moral gravitas." I think it's people who use the term "gravitas" that may drive we commoners away from world of high art.