# Acknowledged greats in the Arts that you "don't get" **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 2, 2014, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acknowledged-greats-in-the-arts-that-you-dont-get/680367 "2014-02-02T19:01:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2014, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acknowledged-greats-in-the-arts-that-you-dont-get/680367/21 "2014-02-03T01:17:11Z")
[Mark Rothko](https://www.google.com/search?q=mark+rothko&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=jO3uUpqHIZOssQTx1YDABg&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAQ&biw=1152&bih=697). Actually, I kinda like his art. I just don’t see that it’s “all that.” ---
**Author:** ![K364](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k364/32/5_2.png) [@K364](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/K364)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2014, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acknowledged-greats-in-the-arts-that-you-dont-get/680367/22 "2014-02-03T01:19:33Z")
**Pulykamell** Yes, Pollock’s works are a brilliant dichotomy of randomness and structure. I only realized that after seeing Autumn Rhythm (Number 30) at the NYC Met. Museum… I was blown away by it. A real epiphany. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2014, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acknowledged-greats-in-the-arts-that-you-dont-get/680367/23 "2014-02-03T01:28:54Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > Miles Davis. And I like jazz. I think the Miles Davis Quintet was fantastic; otherwise, I never got much into him either. ---
**Author:** ![erysichthon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d07c76/32.png) [@erysichthon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/erysichthon)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2014, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acknowledged-greats-in-the-arts-that-you-dont-get/680367/24 "2014-02-03T04:46:57Z")
> [@K364](#): > > Composer: Schumann. Usually slotted in the top 10, I would be hard pressed to include him in my top 30. Especially his piano works (I love Chopin) and symphony’s, both of which I find painful to listen to. You might want to check out Mahler’s re-orchestrations of the Schumann symphonies. Until I heard his versions, I considered those symphonies utterly boring and insipid. Riccardo Chailly has recorded them. For my part, I’ve never been able to “get” Wagner. I consider his work impossibly tedious, heavy-handed, and pretentious. This attitude got me into trouble when I was a graduate music student (a German conducting teacher sternly told me, “I suggest you revise your opinion”). ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2014, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acknowledged-greats-in-the-arts-that-you-dont-get/680367/25 "2014-02-03T05:00:00Z")
> [@Slithy\_Tove](#): > > Cy Twombly. Liked by a great many artists whom I do like, so it must just be me. I think Pollack wiped off his used brushes on Twombly’s canvases. ---
**Author:** ![mascaroni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/dc4da7/32.png) [@mascaroni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mascaroni)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2014, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acknowledged-greats-in-the-arts-that-you-dont-get/680367/26 "2014-02-03T05:15:06Z")
A bit unpatriotic, but I’d go for Henry Moore. Scrap metal to my unenlightened eyes… Same for Barbara Hepworth. Must be a Yorkshire thing. ---
**Author:** ![Grumman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/43a26b/32.png) [@Grumman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grumman)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2014, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acknowledged-greats-in-the-arts-that-you-dont-get/680367/27 "2014-02-03T05:36:13Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Pollock Exactly who I came here to say. I hate Pollock. I found it quite off-putting that the head art lecturer fawned over a drunk, abusive asshole whose last act in this world was to kill an innocent woman, while being insultingly dismissive of her actual students. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2014, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acknowledged-greats-in-the-arts-that-you-dont-get/680367/28 "2014-02-03T05:46:54Z")
Critics love Captain Beefheart actual name Don Van Vleit. Dear lord he sure sucks. ---
**Author:** ![the\_diego](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7bcc69/32.png) [@the\_diego](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_diego)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2014, 5:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acknowledged-greats-in-the-arts-that-you-dont-get/680367/29 "2014-02-03T05:53:40Z")
Matisse, Daly, Picasso, Frank Lloyd Wright, Le Corbousier, Joyce, Bruce Lee, Brad Pitt, Michael Jackson, Beyonce, all rappers, all hip-hop and street dancers, all recurring reality programs, Breaking Bad, Lord of the Rings (movie). Oh I “get” them alright. I just don’t dig 'em. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2014, 6:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acknowledged-greats-in-the-arts-that-you-dont-get/680367/30 "2014-02-03T06:04:32Z")
I’ll agree with Billie Holiday, never cared for her, but I think at least part of that has to do with the very poor recordings, but part of it is still her voice. Rush, I HATE Rush. I hate them to the point where I really don’t understand why other people like them. Let me make something clear, I like the drums, I like the bass, I can’t stand Geddy’s voice. Thelonius Monk. To be fair, I’ve never been a big fan of jazz to begin with. A few years ago I rented Straight: No Chaser to give it a fair shot and it just wasn’t working for me but I was told (by someone here) that if I’m going to try Jazz, TM isn’t the place to jump in. Honestly, jazz isn’t for me, it just sounds like a bunch of people randomly stomping on pianos and plucking at basses and all in their own little heroin induced dreamlands. sorry. What someone upthead said about The Grateful Dead…that’s what jazz sounds like to me. You can probably find a jazz song or two that I like and I can probably find a few GD sounds you’ll like. ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2014, 6:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acknowledged-greats-in-the-arts-that-you-dont-get/680367/31 "2014-02-03T06:34:15Z")
Philip Glass. Boring. ---
**Author:** ![Shakester](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shakester/32/437_2.png) [@Shakester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shakester)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2014, 6:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acknowledged-greats-in-the-arts-that-you-dont-get/680367/32 "2014-02-03T06:41:26Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > I wonder what would happen if some band decided to call itself The Stones - just “The Stones”. [As it happens, not much.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Stones_%28New_Zealand_band%29) ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2014, 6:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acknowledged-greats-in-the-arts-that-you-dont-get/680367/33 "2014-02-03T06:45:49Z")
For a long time I just didn’t “get” Picasso. Then, in a life-drawing class, I decided to walk around the model, combining different parts of her from different angles in the same drawing. Then, a few years later, I visited the Picasso Museum in Paris. It was one of the most enjoyable museums I’ve ever visited. It became obvious to me that there was much humor in Picasso’s work. After those two events, I finally “got” Picasso. ---
**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2014, 6:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acknowledged-greats-in-the-arts-that-you-dont-get/680367/34 "2014-02-03T06:49:47Z")
> [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](#): > > Richard Lewis. Well, he \*was \*funny, back in the day. “The day” being over 25 years ago, of course. ---
**Author:** ![Aman27deep](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ebca7d/32.png) [@Aman27deep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aman27deep)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2014, 7:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acknowledged-greats-in-the-arts-that-you-dont-get/680367/35 "2014-02-03T07:05:20Z")
I dislike Beyonce. Her songs mostly have no meaning. “All the single ladies, put your hands up”? How about no… ---
**Author:** ![larryg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9d8465/32.png) [@larryg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/larryg)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2014, 8:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acknowledged-greats-in-the-arts-that-you-dont-get/680367/36 "2014-02-03T08:44:47Z")
Forgive me, Robert Frost. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2014, 9:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acknowledged-greats-in-the-arts-that-you-dont-get/680367/37 "2014-02-03T09:23:53Z")
Damien Hirst, the half-a-cow plagiarist. And any other installation artists who just grab standard household items and give them a pretentious title, like Tracey Emin and Marcel Duchamp. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2014, 11:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acknowledged-greats-in-the-arts-that-you-dont-get/680367/38 "2014-02-03T11:03:54Z")
Abstract art is just so much rubbish to me. Most pop music is too, even after applying Sturgeon’s Law. ---
**Author:** ![gallows\_fodder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8c91f0/32.png) [@gallows\_fodder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gallows_fodder)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2014, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acknowledged-greats-in-the-arts-that-you-dont-get/680367/39 "2014-02-03T13:11:42Z")
Ezra Pound and WH Auden. I secretly think they were both hacks. ---
**Author:** ![yellowjacketcoder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/4bbf92/32.png) [@yellowjacketcoder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yellowjacketcoder)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2014, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acknowledged-greats-in-the-arts-that-you-dont-get/680367/40 "2014-02-03T13:24:58Z")
I actually didn’t like the Coke ad, but that’s because I dislike overly sentimental to the point of being schmaltzy ads. For the same reason I didn’t like car ad with Dylan, or really most of the car ads. I liked the Budweiser “whatever” ad, but I felt it went too short. It needed maybe 5-6 minisodes to work, instead of the 2-3 we got. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acknowledged-greats-in-the-arts-that-you-dont-get/680367.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acknowledged-greats-in-the-arts-that-you-dont-get/680367.md?page=3)