Throughout the year we have been discussing the intersection of money, politics, and art. We have observed giant, expensive spectacles without much political influence, as well as smaller, cheaper expressions of political perspectives. It’s taken us all around the different styles of art and the different people who make it.

This article tries to look at the year in art through the same lens. The author observes how, despite the larger amount of galleries and shows than there were before, it has become more of a rehash of old trends and spectacle than it is an expressive medium. People want to cash in on older ideas instead of trying new things or making a statement. He points out that there were still some great things to come out of this year, including the Islamic art exhibit and the de Kooning retrospective (both mentioned in the article). But they were few and far between, while most of the quality was mediocre at best.

What this article really praises is the combination of art and politics, praising the Occupy Wall Street movement for producing deep, thought provoking art without the monetary ambitions of most of todays artists. The article also mentions two galleries, “Bye Bye Kitty!!! Between Heaven and Hell in Contemporary Japanese Art” and “Ostalgia”, which were all about the political and social issues that the art was addressing. Though the technical techniques were nowhere near as advanced as those of a modern artist, the expressiveness and point-fulness of the art is what makes it what it is. It requires no spectacle and impressiveness to be excellent. It finds that within the art itself.

Over the year, I’ve started to appreciate this idea a lot more. Like John Cage’s 4’33, the message and poignancy of the art can be more impressive and more important that the means used to create it. It is important to appreciate, not just what makes up the art, but what the art is.