20th century art has fucked us all.
In general I agree with that sentiment. Modernism has wreaked havoc in art, and quite on purpose.
But there are exceptions. For all intents and purposes, Marguerite Duras, the author and film maker who most inspired me while making
Bientôt l'été, is a modernist
pur sang. But still her work is sincere, and deeply felt. She is really on a quest for truth, for finding the correct word, the right tone. What makes her work modern, apart from the form, is that she doesn't except simple, conventional truths. She digs deeper and what she finds is often confusing and ambiguous.
It's probably in part
because modernist artists investigated the complexity of existence that it became difficult for the public to appreciate their work. And of course this opened the door for charlatans, who in turn have ruined whatever interest in art remained.
But! That doesn't mean humans have become incapable of appreciating art. Perhaps what is missing here is a sense of
trust. Gamers, and game journalists, probably do not trust us as artists. They may think we're pulling their leg, making fun of their lack of experience by presenting incomprehensible randomness. They're also not used to dealing with videogames as aesthetic objects, given that the gameplay has always offered them a way out of that confrontation. I don't know how we can re-establish that trust. How we can tell them that it's ok, that they can relax, let go, simply enjoy, that they don't need to understand everything.
