Why Liberals Love Ugly Art

In this episode Trent reveals the reason liberals, including those in the Catholic Church, prefer downright ugly art.
To support this channel: / counseloftrent
00:00 Introduction
00:50 Examples of ‘Ugly Art’ in Catholic spaces
03:00 Is beauty subjective?
05:10 Liberals reject objective truth
06:44 Modern Art values what ‘matters’ to humans
12:25 ”Everything is beautiful”
15:40 Modern art abandons its transcendent purpose
16:00 A sinister motive in some bad Catholic art?

[@reviewspiteras]

The worst part of modern art is the gaslight. Nobody can call it ugly because beauty is subjective so someone must find it beautiful, so subjective apparently that everything is beautiful. Its a kind if gaslight to be honest

[@violetblythe6912]

Yes it’s quite annoying. They act like you must be uneducated to not like it or you just “don’t get it”. No, I can comprehend symbolism or what an artist was trying to say, but that doesn’t make it look good.

[@rosecorcoran]

It's an Emperor Has No Clothes situation, where the elites pretend to see beauty in order to prove their eliteness

[@lucascesar029]

Worse is that I've seem people defend modern art sometimes saying that beauty is subjective, and sometimes saying that it's ok for an art to be ugly because it is made to shock. Those seem contraditory.

[@mauricesteel4995]

Its the perfect example of the bell curve. Simple people think its ugly, the midwits smell their farts by telling eachother its amazing, the real inteligent people call its ugliness out but with solid understanding of why.

[@mydreamsarecomingtrue]

It’s money laundering disguised as “art”

[@jackieo8693]

Satan hates beauty.

[@Mashfan6507]

So do communists

[@CafeteriaCatholic]

@@Mashfan6507 Berthold Brecht was a communist and his plays are beautiful. Seeräuber Jenny performed by Lotte Lenya is the best song that deals with abuse of women I have ever heard. And unlike many catholics he didn't collaborate with Hitler.

[@SenorCinema]

It wouldn’t have anything to do with so called beautiful people treating us ugly people like shit?

[@seafoam6119]

Satan wants an ugly world so he can seem more beautiful in comparison.

[@jackieo8693]

@@SenorCinema Well, mean people are ugly on the inside, lol

[@devilsadvocate6269]

I'm an atheist and I used to consider myself a leftist, but I agree with you wholeheartedly. I despise modern "art" and love the aesthetics of old churches. Classical art took immense skill, talent, time and dedication to create, whereas most modern art feels like it could have been made in 5 minutes by a toddler. I feel that these modern artists deliberately create ugly pieces since they lack the talent to evoke feelings with their art otherwise. Any time I talk with someone who defends modern art I feel like they're trying to gaslight me.

[@highroller-jq3ix]

If you think that classical art refers to Chrisian churches, you are too stupid to pass kindergarten.

[@abesapien9930]

Atheist here as well. Give me the religious frescos of the Renaissance any day over modern abstract art.

[@highroller-jq3ix]

@@abesapien9930 So according to Horn of Empty and the OP, that makes you a wingnut.

[@emawerna]

Brutalism does have a place... on freeways. If they tried to make freeway overpasses beautiful, it would: distract drivers, decorative details might fall off on to the cars below, and it would look like mismatched crap after it gets repaired. I once worked in a designer office building. It was designed to be reminiscent of a heavy industrial factory with a work floor. However, the work floor had tables and chairs and was a common space to "meet and collaborate." The offices with tiny. Everyone hated their tiny offices. Seeing all the empty unused space just made everyone even angrier.

[@1000HolyPlaces]

Very true. I have an atheist friend who specifically goes to places like cathedrals when he travels because he craves the beauty. He loves what humans once created, and hates the oppressive ugliness of "modern art."

[@Gurzil-]

"Evil despises beauty and flourishes amidst ugliness"

[@elchaposaur6178]

Did you make that up? I love the quote!

[@BotchuLeeSim]

Bro it’s just goofy art, it’s not that deep.

[@reysolo3672]

this has nothing to do with being evil. making ugly art isn't evil.

[@rgvonsanktpauli6250]

"Anyone who thinks beauty is only in the eye of the beholder has never been to a strip mall in the suburbs" - Caravaggio

[@milkeywilkie]

lol

[@marvalice3455]

"beauty is in the eye of the beholder" is always an excuse for ugliness

[@SenorCinema]

@@marvalice3455 except beauty truly is in the eye of the beholder

[@marvalice3455]

@@SenorCinema no

[@SenorCinema]

@@marvalice3455 yes

[@LilabeanAnn]

As an artist, I’ve always hated modern art. It’s so incredibly ugly. There’s an art museum on my college campus and it’s incredible to see the difference between the student art which is usually just a bunch of paint splatters and angsty words on a canvas vs on the other side of the gallery, stunning study sketches of parts of the Sistine Chapel’s painted ceilings.

[@Bloxicorn]

When i took art classes all through high school, I always wondered why most works were angry, angsty, and dark art. Our teachers required us to have preapproval of our designs before we started working on them, and time and time again my designs of imagery of love, kindness, or natural beauty like landscape art would be rejected for not being "deep" enough. Finally I got fed up with it and my last project was some dumb "save the planet" self-portrait where I drew the clothes as made out of trash I didn't really put my heart into, yet everyone loved it.

[@berserkerbard]

I’m the same. I hate the postmodernist rubbish in lots of fine art galleries. I’m an artist who studied illustration at university and fine art was also taught as a subject at the same university. At the end of my final year, the illustration exhibition and the fine art exhibition were on at the same time. It was such a stark contrast between the two and it was almost painful to walk round the ‘fine art’ exhibition. Every single piece was ugly or something a small child could have done in preschool. At least we were taught anatomy and life drawing in our course and most of the students could draw well. As a result, the standard of art in illustration was much, much higher. I think it’s because illustration is seen as a form of art that needs to depict subject matters well in order to be useful or profitable, whereas modern ‘fine art’ is about being as pretentious as possible to try to gain attention from other pretentious people. It’s incredibly sad and I pray for a revolution in the art world to return to valuing artistic skill.

[@themysteriousdomainmoviepalace]

Me too! I gave my art practice to Jesus and had a breakthrough. I have so many ideas from Him!

[@thunderbird1921]

Believe it or not, President Dwight Eisenhower (who sometimes painted as a stress-reliever in his free time) actually bemoaned this "modern art" movement nearly 60-65 years ago. He said that the paintings coming from it looked like "a canvas driven over by a Tin Lizzie" IIRC. Even in its earlier days, people could see what it often was. Sadly not enough spoke up though, and now we're stuck with this insanity.

[@wet-read]

Not all art is representationist. I prefer abstract expressionism and surrealism, broadly speaking, but also like and appreciate stuff more people go "ooh" and "ahh" at.

[@s.g.b.808]

„Evil cannot create anything new, they can only corrupt and ruin good forces have invented or made.“ JRR Tolkien

[@barrywood7234]

I submitted a 3D sculpture depicting the roman soldiers at the foot of the cross tossing dice for Jesus's clothing as Jesus suffered on the cross just above them. It was super realistic and anatomical correct, with particularly attention paid to historical accuracy in clothing and roman armor. I spent 2 years completing it. It was titled "Winners and Losers." The university that gave the "Art show" set my piece away in a corner and gave the award and prize to a work that consisted of a plastic toy elephant with two toy space shuttle boosters sloppily hot glued to the elephants sides and all that hot glued to a broken piece of plywood and it all was sloppily stripped with yellow paint. When the artist accepted the award, he was visibly distressed and would not look me in the eye when I offered him congratulations( I was expecting this kind of outcome and only wished to display the work for its message). Many of the visitors were upset about who received the award and were vocal about it, causing the university staff to leave the floor and they did not return.

[@suran396]

It's definitely a political agenda and part of critical theory. So sad it has infiltrated so much of academia.

[@GoyMaster]

Can’t believe this is what the world has come to. Must’ve been tough working so much just to lose to some third grade art project.

[@bernadettnemeth7474]

I am very sad you had to experience that😢. Sadly the art world is all about nepotism and modern art is the perfect excuse for giving talentless artists awards they don t deserve. Almost all of the they give first place to the xyz friend or relative of the organizers regardless of their skill and creativity and if you question them they ll tell you that a yellow plastic elephant has more meaning to it then what you see and that you are uneducated and don t understand art. I am almost 100% sure that if you would have done a bit of research about the guy who won you d find interesting things about what relation he has with the professors of the university.

[@bernadettnemeth7474]

I ve had a 10 year experience with art competitions starting from a fairly young age. During my first few competitions with no serious award i always won but the moment i entered serious ones i was always left disappointed. I was 16 when i entered a national art competition and made a 2 meter painting of Antigone crying beside her dead brother. It was hyperrealistic, very detailed and looked like a photo. The other contestants all shuck my hand and congratulated that despite being a child i managed to make something not even they could after 30-40 years but the moment they showed the results i was heartbroken. A pretty young woman who drew 3 blue symmetrical dots on her canvas won. I broke into tears the older artists tried to comfort me, as i was on my way out i saw this girl kissing one of the judges i was disgusted. My next major competition was similar. I made a hyperrealistic painting of St Peter in Rome worked 2 months on it but ofc the winner ended up being a guy who made an abstract piece of a girl hugging a tree. But the person couldn t draw faces and it looked horrible. After doing some research i learned that the winner was the nephew of the organizer. All of my other competitions were like that the winner was always someone close to the judges and couldn t draw

[@Jchathe]

It's an agenda. Those who 'own' the university decide what the professors can and can't do. The masses are being manipulated and controlled by the few, who want to keep us down. Just my two pennies. I suffered the same in my chosen sport - despite objectively demonstrating excellence, others were still chosen above me. There's a worldwide 'club' and we are not in it (and never will be).

[@CatholicGunGuy]

They make it easy to “judge them by their works”

[@vonhalberstadt3590]

Good observation.

[@hatoffnickel]

They have no choice in the matter, Christ created a universe in which the ugly is ugly and the wicked bear wicked fruit.

[@MRdaBakkle]

Something something remove the log out of your own eye before you remove the speck out of your brother's. But Christians were never good at following their own Bible.

[@homnishomomendax]

Precisely, and if God grants us the grace of salvation, we shall judge them before the whole universe.

[@user-pn8ke3kf5f]

Well at least they don't diddle kids.

[@micahgunnell]

I’m non-denominational Christian, but also a professional visual artist, and one thing I really appreciate about Catholicism is its emphasis on beauty as an aspect of the divine. I have felt from a very early age that most modern art is complete garbage.

[@marvalice3455]

My dad likes modern art. I honestly don't get why

[@lucidlocomotive2014]

The church used to* have an emphasis on beauty. Not anymore sadly. Unfortunately it’s only schismatic groups that are still making beautiful churches and interiors

[@micahgunnell]

@@lucidlocomotive2014 sure, I definitely get that, I just mean that in Catholicism, the existence of beauty is used as an apologetic argument for the existence of God. I think the beauty of the churches are a product of that line of thinking.

[@marvalice3455]

@@lucidlocomotive2014 vice robs us of our gifts

[@marcomoreno6748]

Good thing you never grew up.

[@mikhaelis]

Art is an expression of the soul. Anyone who produces this sort of ugliness is not telling a story about society but are telling a story about themselves.

[@Jchathe]

I agree with you 100%

[@highroller-jq3ix]

No, art isn't an expression of an imaginary thing.

[@1000HolyPlaces]

VERY well said!

[@The_Novu]

All art comes from the end result of all combined knowledge and experiences and what makes you you distilled through your own skills.

[@mizukarate]

Don't forget skill and lack of skill. Modern art lacks skill and is disgustingly plain.

[@mellieg.7543]

Brutalism feels as if the concrete buildings are threatening to crush me rather than make me feel part of anything. It says "you are tiny, you are insignificant"

[@sillythewanderer4221]

I know that feeling; my high school is like that. Edit: fixed punctuation.

[@joshmcgill4639]

Depends because some are very pretty and expresses it just depends on how they do it.

[@TimmyGC]

Exactly. Cathedrals makes me realize "Oh, I'm part of something huge, and I somehow have a place in it". Brutalism is more of a "You are in something huge, and you have no place in it". One draws you to something larger, the other pulls you to smallness.

[@marcomoreno6748]

Aw your feelies got hurt. Then go read your fairtytale book that tells you you're the center of everything, the universe etc. 😂 weak-ass people in tbis channel

[@Air-wr4vv]

It's exactly the point though. It's funny how art reflects some trends that are present in society

[@bathcat3759]

Once you realize that shitty art has become a way to signal cultural, intellectual and moral superiority, everything starts to make sense

[@josiahalexander5697]

That makes sense. If post-modern artists are ingrained with things like Critical Race Theory, Feminism, Darwinian Evolution, etc. it would follow that their art reflects this belief that the world is primarily about power dynamics; the artistic process and the product of the process is about power.

[@bathcat3759]

@@josiahalexander5697 it’s also a way to bring in the whole idea of “interpretation.” “You don’t like my art? That’s just your interpretation!”

[@josiahalexander5697]

@@bathcat3759 Gahhh! 😂 I think the book of Judges has something to say about the time we’re in 😅

[@dr.danburritoman1293]

@@josiahalexander5697 As a Cartholic, I believe in Darwinian Evolution; however, I think God created us through this process and that man's fall into sin happened at some point when early humans existed.

[@josiahalexander5697]

@@dr.danburritoman1293 Oh no problem. I think there is some valid science in the theory of evolution but a lot of proponents of Darwinian evolution (and I think this might be because of a misunderstanding, I don’t know if Darwin would actually agree with this) tend to put a large emphasis on power.

[@roberthuck5589]

My kids attend a Catholic grade school and I love their art teacher. She said she doesn't pay any attention to any art made after the impressionists.

[@AngelineProductions]

Art isn’t just painting or “fine arts.” Art is all-encompassing. It includes music, literature, film, and photography, amongst other mediums. It’s silly and arrogant to dismiss art movements past a certain era. It’s like saying you refuse to listen to music recorded past the 1970s.

[@highroller-jq3ix]

Neat. A stupid art bigot.

[@sskuk1095]

That is an awesome statement!

[@PlaylistWatching1234]

If you think there's been 0 good art in the past 100 years that's a you problem.

[@1000HolyPlaces]

And even then, the majority of impressionists aren't particularly good. However, there are some, those who grasp what impression is MEANT to be, that were absolutely brilliant. But yeah, if I were teaching art, impressionism is where I'd pretty much end. If I were to go any further, it would be to find the selection of current artists actually returning to skill and beauty despite the insistence of society to devalue art.

[@andreasfiltenborg4952]

I'm not catholic and I'm barely christian, but you're speaking to ancient truths and virtues that are barely here anymore and I thank you for that.

[@slow9573]

I'm passionate about bringing better art into my local parishes. I need prayer in this endeavor.

[@gunsgalore7571]

I pray for your success. My home church was built in 1917 and has a lot of beautiful paintings and stained-glass windows and statues, but most of the time right now I go to this church that was made in the 1990s and its art is not nearly as good.

[@catholicfemininity2126]

Any ideas as to how we can bring beautiful art to parishes? I know it obviously costs money to make large images but I don't know how much, any Catholic businesses?

[@kfgabriele9852]

I absolutely agree with you and I believe parishioners can help with this in multiple ways. Find beautiful art you think would look great in your church, or find an artist (whether known or unknown) and commission a beautiful work of art. Get an estimate, a sample/rendering of the project, and discuss it with your priest. If everything looks good and is agreeable to everyone, you could fund raise locally and even nationally (gofundme, givesendgo, etc). I bet you could make that work. Then, as a gift to donors, you could send professional pictures of the work - maybe even signed by the artist. A relatively unknown artist could become well known and receive lots of work for similar projects - and gift your church a new beautiful piece of art now and again 😊. This could become a routine donation or collection throughout the year. Parishioners could vote on a selection projects, big and small, and even locate artists for group review. Moreover, lithographs, calendars, and so on, can be made and sold by the church to bring in extra revenue. Those funds can be saved for future art projects, sponsor talented artists from around the world to work on projects in-house, or provide the funds for Gregorian Chant training throughout the diocese. Perhaps this endeavor would provide enough funds to support a local monastery or convent! I hope many, many prayers will yield positive action… and much beautiful artwork! God bless and God speed!!

[@TheThreatenedSwan]

Good luck against the cadre of middle aged female busy bodies who unfortunately run most parishes

[@Mashfan6507]

Prayers to you!

[@victoriaeinbinder9487]

There's something in the human spirit that recognizes truth, goodness and beauty. To glorify the objectively ugly demonstrates a poverty of spirit.

[@marcomoreno6748]

Truth is that which comports to reality. Morality and beauty are subjective by nature. Demonstrate an example of OR provide a definition of "objective good"/"objective beauty". But the truth is, you are using "objective" poorly. We say objective to mean that which can be measured or in other usahes held as the object of one's mind independent. Lol you're just using "objective" to mean "this is the RIGHT way to do it cuz this is MY special way do it OR ELSE" Just veiled threats of superiority on your part.

[@Luna.Lupa.]

And what is objectively ugly? What is your so called truth and goodness? It reeks of you feeling superior to people who don’t like whatever you deem to be the ideal

[@chumbucket6184]

​@@marcomoreno6748everybody knows when they are looking at a beautiful person or an ugly person. Any attempt to deny this is simply cope

[@ryanwilliams6602]

Well said

[@Gogogoogle477]

lolol garbage opinion

[@loretta8260]

I feel like this is a good time to protest Trent's depressingly blank background wall 😂 But great video as always.

[@TheCounselofTrent]

We hope to fix that soon!

[@keasstudio9822]

Lol good point. XD Bland isn't bad, but ugly is bad so xd.

[@jpfulks]

In 1963, an excerpt from the book , “The Naked Communist”, was made part of the congressional record, outlining 45 “communist goals”. If you decide to look this up and read them, it will be a wake up call for you. The following are two of them: 2. Continue discrediting American culture by degrading all forms of artistic expression. An American Communist cell was told to "eliminate all good sculpture from parks and buildings, substitute shapeless, awkward and meaningless forms." 23. Control art critics and directors of art museums. "Our plan is to promote ugliness, repulsive, meaningless art."

[@theusher2893]

I was JUST ABOUT to post this. Everyone needs to read this.

[@1000HolyPlaces]

I've been meaning to read that.

[@michaellowe5558]

Modern art is honestly the elevation of the mediocre. Why? Because it's easy to do. It's easy to build something blocky and ugly. It's hard to build something beautiful, integrated, and intricate. And perhaps the root sin of modern art is simply Sloth.

[@n4ughty_knight]

I would call it "Acedia" because the post-modernist artist loves to focus on death like it's something new.

[@sarahwhite3994]

Sloth and greed combined to me. It's not just easier to build, it's cheaper and easier to mass produce, which means more profit.

[@pamela_amor]

Thats very profound

[@LearnCompositionOnline]

Classical art can be also be very easy to do, principally in music

[@LearnCompositionOnline]

The category of beauty is not enough for art. In the concept of art should be the discussion.

[@Nobile-Cavaliere]

That clip of the man professing the virtues of brutalist architecture sounded like an advertisement for the Borg.

[@thorzap1374]

Bruh, "everyone knows their place in the collective" has to be one of the most horrifying dystopian ideals I've ever heard. And that dude was saying it like it was a good thing

[@thenazarenecatholic]

To be fair, there are things about brutalist architecture that are beautiful. I have a background in architecture, and although I much prefer Gothic and Victorian styles, I do enjoy the sheer strength and power that brutalist architecture portrays (think of Arrakeen in the new Dune movies, for example).

[@ivanzovko3523]

It explains why their ship is shaped as a cube!

[@easy8690]

​@@thorzap1374 He's also wrong about brutalism too. At least in the USSR it was used to create temporary housing blocks to end homelessness until better houses could be made. It was rarely artistic to my knowledge.

[@CoffeeConsumerZoomer]

There's a lot of beautiful brutalist architecture, as well. It's just that many have their hearts too corrupted to even make the attempt at reaching that beauty.

[@youtubecensors5419]

It's about demoralizing us by elevating the ugly to make people cynical and lose hope. We need beauty in order to find richness in living, and hope is what we need to find beauty, and beauty in turn gives us hope.

[@now591]

Spot on. Your comment should have 100s of upvotes.

[@johnrockwell5834]

They also say: " He that doesn't hear the music will see the dancing as madness"

[@pickenchews]

I like that!

[@vivwood528]

As an artist, this new modern art makes it extremely difficult for actual artists. We're constantly being judged not for the beauty and meaning of our pieces, but for this odd, countercultural, abstractness factor. So a hyperrealistic piece of gorgeous art will sell for 10x less than ketchup on a canvas. That and the fact that now no one takes art seriously anymore. Art used to take the hidden, underlying beauty in God's creation and highlight it. It was an illustration of potential, essentially showing God in God's work. Now the art that is praised has lost all meaning and has become as repulsive as an indulgent concupiscence.

[@bad_covfefe]

Please continue doing what you are doing, brother/sister. Our world needs beauty and transcendence. Please keep adding to it.

[@lglge611]

If modern (ugly) art is considered as critique of traditional values, then you should do your art as a critique of modern art. If art is just critique?

[@josecat436]

Rebel by being great

[@krimbii]

I spent my 20s entrenched in the world of the arts and hung around all the best artists of my area. I understand from experience around this world that the goal of modern art is an extension of critical theory. The aim is to visually tear down anything that is accepted as traditional. The goal is to also shock others, and the only way to shock other people is to keep crossing the line of what is currently accepted as normal. Eventually you get so far out on the periphery of what was considered normal, that you venture into extremely weird sex stuff, pedophilia, or even just publicly destroying something beautiful to post online as a sort of performance art (we are here). Modern art is also fueled by pride and individualism. Why create something beautiful? That has all been done before. The goal is to do something shocking enough that will gain you notoriety and fame. The more "triggered" the "conservatives" are, the more attention you receive, and the more you will be congratulated by your peers for causing a stir with the backwards people. By accomplishing this, you can feel a sense of superiority over most of the population, and a sense of pride that you belong to a clique of special people who "get it". I feel like there's so much to say about this topic. Living in modern times and looking back on 2,000 years of Christian and secular art and being able to track its devolution is a fascinating thing...

[@PyraDraculea]

Agreed. Also, re: "Why create something beautiful? That has all been done before." The hilarious thing is that's what they really say and think... while then producing and promoting work that's very basically rehashing things that were already boring and overdone by the end of the 1950s (eg all the splatters and people are still copying Rothko all these decades later or all the gross bodily fluids "art") and yet they claim that's somehow new and innovative still but beautiful art is old and boring.

[@daguroswaldson257]

That figures, it's Jewish.

[@COE33Beale]

I agree I have been a glassmaker for over 20 years, In our world, what the museums are passing off as Art today and what was considered Art when I started making Glass are two different worlds. The refined traditional teachers are no longer teaching at Glass schools in America. I’ve spent 20 years learning to make Italian crystal flame work. And have accomplished my goal now I cannot even get representation. There are literately 5 to 10 people in the world that are capable of making the scale, soft Glass and Crystal that I flame work with. Museums In America have an agenda. So most of my work is now sitting in wooden crates. And I picked up a camera and started shooting real estate to make a living.. In America, it’s no longer about who makes good proportion and composition within a refined traditional format. Mind you you can still express yourself a while making very good composed symmetrical pieces of work. And to make sure that my Art doesn’t fall into the wrong hands when I die. My will, and a small bank account has it stated that my work is to be sent to an Italian Glass museum, where it will be appreciated or stored by people that understand it’s true value.. When I went to Corning, they had a traditional red Venetian chandelier that was very well done. And it was purposely dropped on the floor, made to look like it was shattered…. And then they had some taxidermist stuff a bunch of dead crows. And made it look, as if The crows were picking at a dead corpse. In my eye of the beholder. It is the biggest FU . To the teachers and multiple glass masters that came here to teach this craft. But if you’re a lesbian or a transgender. Making very ugly and stupid installation you will be promoted.. PS if you want good glass, please go to Venice, Italy, and visit the island of Murano Instagram Beale__Glass

[@lanky-x782]

Very well said. Your post explains so much of modernity.

[@erl00558]

Yea but it still doesn’t take talent to piss on a Monet. It did however take talent for him to make those works

[@dragonhold4]

(6:44) "Beautiful art takes us out of ourselves, lifts us up and beyond to something universal" > Glory

[@dragonhold4]

(11:14) Amazing speech

[@dragonhold4]

(15:48) _Liberal and Modern Art is ugly because it abandoned it its transcendent purpose. It tries to do good but in a deficient man-centered way so you're always focus down on the human element rather than to the transcendent element_ -Trent Horn

[@dragonhold4]

(17:05) has the aura of Invasion of the Body Snatchers

[@angr3819]

Jacob Rothschild was in a documentary about a year ago. He was very truthful in saying that they put their less intelligent relatives through art school then hold exhibitions for them. They tell people that it is all collecters pieces and sell it for their relatives. That way they don't have to keep them. In their culture, the eldest son inherits everything but is then responsible for the whole family, to ensure none become poverty stricken.

[@abiseniyya]

In eastern culture, art is a path of strive for achieving perfection. It's about dedicating all your efforts on constant improvement of any field you choose. It can be music, dance, pottery, trade, even war. What they call "modern art" is nothing but excuse for being lazy. Eastern culture appreciates the amount of work an artist put in his piece. I agree that beauty is subjective, but an artist's dedication on his field shall reflect on his piece. For example, eastern art like in Bali, Java etc depicts hideous/scary figures that may be considered "ugly". However, the amount of attention to details, traditional rules and standards etc is paramount. Javanese/Balinese artist spends decades of his life in apprenticeship, training under guidance of a master since early age. Japanese classic art, on the other hand, values simplicity. However, even in its simplicity, one can see the amount of hardwork and years of dedication to pursuit perfection.

[@siruristtheturtle1289]

This is key: For something to be considered art it must reflect skill.

[@miguelsemidei7619]

As an artist , I personally feel that when people call these "art pieces" they create art , it's just an excuse for their lack of true talent . So it basically called expressionism , in other words "anything" can be called art BUT it does not make it so . In my opinion. For a reason , the Masters are called Masters, not just artists.

[@luc8254]

I get it that it might seem like that, and I'm not a fan of modern Marxist art at all, but generally those people who make "bad art" like that are reeeeally good artists. Technically I mean... you take one of those famous modern artists and you'll see that most likely they're doing what they are, in the way they're doing it completely by choice. In reality they're probably better technically than 99% of artists, a lot of them have indisputable talent, but choose to make "bad art".

[@miguelsemidei7619]

@@luc8254 I agree, many are striving to do something "different" and be remembered for it . Usually works but not always .

[@leoniepipe6910]

I agree 100%. A few years ago I went to an exhibition of student's "art works" at Auckland University. These students were on the verge of graduating with degrees in "pure art". There were a few decent works but most of it was just dross. For example, somebody had filled a defunct refrigerator with pieces of cut up fruit and another had filled a room with giant, anatomically incorrect male genitals of different sizes but the same shape, cut and sewn from variously coloured materials. My three-year-old grandniece could have done a better job with the former and the latter could be done by anyone who can work a pair of scissors and a sewing machine.

[@ryanpeck3377]

@@luc8254Its a mix, some are talented artists but make ugly modern art because its easy and its what sells for big $. Others do it because they like the idea of being an artist and living the artist lifestyle and being in the art scene. However they are a mix of low talent and laziness. They could probably be ok artists but they dont want to put in the work it requires. Met lots of those people in high school and art school (“Talent” is a mix of natural born talent and then Lots of hard work) Just an aside, it does take some work and drive to be a successful Modern Artist, but that is all work in dealing with people, essentially “politics” going to the right parties, getting to know the right people, etc etc. the art itself is the easy pary, its the dealing with peo0le, having the right opinions, lying through your teeth if need be, having no moral compass and going along with whatever gallery owners and clients want etc

[@johneldred8281]

no, don’t be so bashful. You have it right on point ..the masters were masters for a reason and don’t apologize .. that’s my point in my post …stop apologizing for saying something is ugly. Just say it’s ugly. and nice post by the way.

[@johnmccrossan9376]

There's going to be some people who say this kind of stuff is more "practical" so I thought I'd address that. I work in a factory that deals with used cooking oil. It's disgusting, it's purely for production, but it is not ugly. The machines are aluminium brushed and textured like you'd get in a nice car. The break spaces are light and look like a school canteen in a lot of ways. The lids and barrels are bright appealing colours and our uniform is tasteful and could be worn as normal clothes. It is no architectural marvel and obviously beauty was not top of their priorities when they built it, but it's not ugly. Things that should be painted are painted things that should shine shine and things that should be made a certain shape, not because it's more efficient but just because that's a better shape to look at, are made that shape. Useful does not have to be ugly.

[@AlexE5250]

Sometimes even, something can be beautiful *because of* its functionality, not in spite of it. There can be a nice elegance in the way something is useful, efficient, or well-constructed. Think of the beauty of certain math equations, or the beauty of well written non-fiction literature. It reminds me of something Matt Fradd said once when comparing the works of Sts. Aquinas and Augustine. “Reading Augustine is beautiful like a garden, Aquinas is beautiful like a well written board game manual.”

[@johnmccrossan9376]

@@AlexE5250 it can indeed

[@denisemullarkey5117]

I live in pain and am still a positive woman but I wouldn't without Jesus because he suffered more than I do and was quiet about it, thinking something like work isn't bad is fine, but bad art is bad art

[@lilexistentialcrisis2197]

@@denisemullarkey5117did you ever see the movie ‘blood sport’ starrin Jeane Claude van damme?

[@Jchathe]

Well said!

[@TzaddikMedia]

I'm not Catholic but I do largely agree with your points. Postmodern, brutalist, Picasso-style civilization is utterly soul-killing.

[@1000HolyPlaces]

I don't think one has to be Catholic to think this way. I'm not Catholic, either. And the ideas of beauty far predate even Christianity. The Ancient Greeks prized the same principles. I think that Catholics have always specifically put an emphasis on beauty in their worship, though, and I think that it may be especially offensive to some to see the lack of beauty in their worship spaces -- places that, of all things, ought to utterly glorify God in the richest possible ways. I totally get that, it's why I do what I do personally in focusing on religious buildings and their beauty.

[@jjuarez83]

This is a conversation I been having in my head for years, but very specifically in the past few months. Thanks for the video.

[@kp9894]

As an advertising art student, I 100% agree with Mr. Trent on this one. I'm so tired of seeing bland and uninspiring works especially being promoted within the Catholic space and in the art world in general. The art we produce is essentially the reflection of how we value ourselves and the current times we live in. And as much as a lot of people like to say that art is 'subjective,' beauty still needs objective traits to be defined by the human experience.

[@SerendipitousProvidence]

What do you mean beauty needs objective traits? Why? What are these objective traits?

[@igorlopes7589]

​@@SerendipitousProvidence Art shouldn't express ourselves, it should express ideals. Art shouldn't provoke, it should inspire. Art shouldn't be about art, it should be about real life

[@littledrummergirl_19]

Fellow graduated art student - absolutely agree!

[@SerendipitousProvidence]

@@igorlopes7589 Those are assertions. Also how is any art that expresses ourselves mutually exclusive to inspiring? Art expressing ourselves doesn't fall under real life?

[@littledrummergirl_19]

@@SerendipitousProvidencein the art world there ARE objects five standards about good composition, how to use value, etc… and when paired with the transcendentals (truth goodness and beauty) you get really beautiful art. But in many instances composition is taught in art history classes but not necessarily encouraged in the studio painting classes (in my experience) experimentation and novelty is encouraged and it’s much more difficult to critique work because there’s always the excuse available that “it’s not supposed to be pretty” “I meant for it to do that” and so people become hesitant to critique at all. On social media any critique of a piece has people responding with “anything can be art! Who are you to tell someone else how to do THEIR art better??” But it needs to have objective standards - art is a reflection of culture, and culture is influenced by art. Relativism and subjective morality in society won’t be helped by subjectivism and relativism in art, they’re mirrors of each other. That’s a nutshell of my thoughts at least. Also the push away from objective beauty was led by revolutionists in the art world who wanted to overhaul anything objective and opposed the idea of objective beauty and classical standards. Also many of these people were communist - it’s influenced by atheist worldviews.

[@travisbrewer2268]

As an aspiring artist, this inadvertently taught me fundamental truths about art that I’ve learned from nowhere else. Thank you Trent!

[@baumholderh8425]

Look up Roger Scruton- why beauty matters (2009). It isn’t Catholic in nature but also covers this topic.

[@ericchristen2623]

Agree. Art should be original, attractive, mystical and intuitively challenging...😊

[@now591]

should be uplifting.

[@Jonesmalone562]

Art is a reflection of your heart.

[@ASMRDoodlez]

The only time I see brutalism as fitting is if you're building a prison. It visually resembles the feeling of a prison.

[@jackieo8693]

That's cruel and unusual punishment

[@DeannaWillistonOFS]

@@jackieo8693exactly. It dehumanizes and demoralizes those in prison…and many of those affected prisoners are then sent back into society.

[@jackieo8693]

@@DeannaWillistonOFS and some of them are not guilty, or are guilty of small things.

[@AngelineProductions]

@@DeannaWillistonOFS…so you think the purpose of prison should be to dehumanize prisoners?

[@DeannaWillistonOFS]

@@AngelineProductions absolutely not. I’m saying it’s part of what destroys those who get sent to prison, even for smaller crimes.

[@marlena.]

Creepy Fisher Price toys, so true😂

[@yeetmaestro575]

All of this cannot be said without holding accountable the conservatives who deride the arts and have helped to pave the way for the introduction and implementation of ugly art and design.

[@brianl8983]

Thank you for saying out loud what I have thought for a long time

[@NonchalantBoyo7896]

I feel that Pablo Picasso was one of the first of these artists that paved the way for modern art and art lost all meaning. It went from replicating real life the best we could, to throwing expired milk on a canvas.(and yes also Duchamp by no small margin)

[@marvalice3455]

Picasso was a modern artist yes. This is objectively true

[@patricklewis9787]

His stuff isn’t even as bad as what follows but it definitely wasn’t worth what it kicked off

[@jackieo8693]

Yup

[@NonchalantBoyo7896]

@@patricklewis9787 for sure

[@simonedagostino9358]

What shocks me is that his impressionist paintings (from his youth) still retain some beauty and artistic sense. He was adored in the 1900s, but in actuality he was the laughing stock of art

[@Klee99zeno]

The art critic Robert Hughes used two terms when describing twentieth century art. "The Mechanical Paradise" and " Heroic Materialism" So many artists liked to portray people as machines. Many artists and architects created work that emphasized the blocky, heavy and hard edged objects. This all expressed the artists' belief that humans and the universe were just material and mechanical objects. Many of the artists and architects were also communists, so of course they were materials and atheists.

[@Jchathe]

Very much enjoyed your presentation. It reflected what I have been feeling for a very long time.

[@milo_thatch_incarnate]

I think you really hit the nail on the head at 8:30 -- that older architecture and art is _generous._ I love describing truly beautiful art and architecture that way! Older, beautiful buildings and art clearly display that the time, money, and painstaking master craftsmanship it took to make the building _beautiful_ was _worth it,_ because the people inside the building are worth it. The way almost all buildings and art nowadays emphasize sparseness and extreme minimalism just says to me "neither you or any of the people in here are worth the time, money, or craftsmanship it would require to make this space that beautiful." Also, buildings that are truly beautiful inside and out -- even in small ways -- make you want to stop and take in the beauty! Modern warehouse stores, boxy plain office buildings, and even modern churches (especially protestant ones) ALL are so simple and boxy that I don't even register them as I walk through them. Those buildings are just a box I'm moving through to do whatever it is I need to do. Why NOT make every building so beautiful that people feel uplifted just by being there??

[@spinvalve]

Trent -please make a follow-up talking about beauty of traditional music versus the modern music today, not just in society but also the cheapening of liturgical music in the likes of 'peter paul and Mary'. I think the subjective language in Musicam Sacram led to too much liberties in introducing ugly music into masses among others

[@igorlopes7589]

Sing a new Church comes to mind

[@igorlopes7589]

Please make a follow-up talking about the beauty of traditional Liturgy versus the modern Liturgy today

[@Justin-yn5py]

The more you look at the church post Vatican II and the NO the more difficult it gets to say that Vatican II was not a massive rupture with the tradition and how terrible the NO is on the whole. There are definitely some problematic documents in V II as well. We need to return to only offering the traditional Latin Mass or force all NO to be ad Orientum and chanted with Gregorian chant exclusively.

[@igorlopes7589]

@@Justin-yn5py The New Lectionary removes emphasis from sin (it ommitts the passage on unworthy communion) and the New Offertory removes emphasis from the Sacrifice of the Mass by design. While the Roman Canon was stripped of its symbolic gestures during the liturgical reform. The problem isn't merely on the surface with things like ad Orientem and Sacred Music, it goes deeper than that

[@Justin-yn5py]

@@igorlopes7589 very true

[@patricklewis9787]

When your movement is about tearing down walls, then you’ll inevitably be left with nothing but ruins. Simple as that

[@chriswillis4153]

There's a difference between "ugly art" and "grotesque art".

[@now591]

not much.

[@Splatterpunk_OldNewYork]

Grotesque by definition is not Ugly Art. It means to be Grotto-esque, or like the Roman Bath House/Grotto Sculptures.

[@donmcatee45]

They like it because they don’t like things better than they can make themselves, same holds true for their ideology and politics.

[@stressaccount7664]

Kubrick used brutalist architecture in A Clockwork Orange very thoughtfully to represent a liberal dystopia. Brutalist apartments send a shiver of revulsion down my spine when I encounter them in the city.

[@newglof9558]

Interesting...

[@mitsubishigenetech]

They were also used in Robocop, Coma, Planet of the Apes, Logan's run etc

[@SRBOMBONICA86]

Lol go to Eastern Europe,they are EVERYWHERE

[@HotManJonah]

“Beauty is truth, truth beauty, that is all Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know." - John Keats (Ode on a Grecian Urn)

[@jamesupton4996]

Unfortunately beauty is a double edged sword - the beauty in pornography for example.

[@marvalice3455]

​@@jamesupton4996that's not true beauty. There's a Scandinavian tale of a beautiful seductive elf, but when she takes off her dress, you see her back is a rotton hole, like a hollow tree. The beauty is only a shame to get you close to the deeper ugliness. That's what pornography is

[@emily43210]

​​@@jamesupton4996it's because it contains something beautiful (the human person and the human body), but exposes them to be looked out without their humanity. It's not that beauty itself is double edged, it that humans sprinkle beauty on top of ugliness, or we take the wool off the "beauty sheep", and leave the sheep to starve because we want to take without giving. Jordan Peterson says something about a deep truth being true on every layer (white lies being true on some level but a lie on another). Beauty on one layer and disrespect on another, and then plundering on another level is not beauty, it's just beauty mixed in with ugliness in rhe same can of paint, you don't have the pure color of beauty, you just have a lighter shade of ugly.

[@jamesupton4996]

@@emily43210 Thankyou - you've explained that very well. I've come across Peterson before, and the high value he places on beauty, even if we can only do or find one beautiful thing no matter how small - it really matters ( in lifting us). And your explanation makes very good sense. The Keats quotation Beauty is Truth has always bothered me, because I have always sensed a danger in Beauty. Your explanation gives a sense to that. I think that there is an aesthetic path to God, but of all the ways it might be the most dangerous,as being most subject to lures of the devil. Garden of earthly delights and all that. And there is that transcendent Platonic quality Beauty has no matter where found.

[@marcomoreno6748]

Truth is that which comports with reality. Difficult for your smooth brain to grasp.

[@jeannefernando4937]

This is indeed a relevant and important topic. Thank you for such a great exposition.

[@annelikriek6294]

What a fantastic video!!! I found it very thoughtful. Thank you

[@giovillalobos2273]

Thank you for this! As someone who’s been working in the art world for over 20 years, the avant-garde walked off the cliff - their art is just non-sensical self-indulgent memes. I admire the clarity with which you articulated the argument.

[@Jchathe]

Well said!

[@DMinorminorpremise]

The Newman Center makes me think of nothing so much as an underground parking garage.

[@briancoyne6700]

Dude!! Love this video! I'm a high school art teacher and my favorite music to play while the students draw/paint is "80s Synth Wave"! I have found that it puts them in a positive zone--there's no singing to distract, and the variations of synth music is infinite. So it's hard to get tired of it. Wow! Funny you mentioned 80s Synth Wave!

[@Salient024]

Thank you!!! Please do a part 2 on beauty regarding music.

[@rcbmmines4579]

Well said. Art is both objective and subjective. Subjective in the sense that beauty can take many forms. Objective because there does exist beauty and ugliness. Art is also a craft that takes effort and skill as well as application of meaning.

[@marvalice3455]

I feel like it is important to distinguish between "subjective", "contextual", "relative", and "debatable" A man's preference for a certain dish is subjective. The appropriate music at a given time is contextual, beauty is relative, and morality is debatable. All but the first are objective, it's just that aspects of the objective truth include things which are often conflated with being subjective. Just because we can spend endless hours arguing about something doesn't mean it's not objective

[@scroogemcduckismyspiritanimal]

​@@marvalice3455in what way do you mean morality is debatable?

[@marvalice3455]

@@scroogemcduckismyspiritanimal only in the way that it can validly be argued about. I am not claiming we cannot come to sound conclusions, only that debate about morality is valid. This is distinct from a "subjective" topic, because you cannot validly debate something which is truly subjective, such as how painful an experience is, or what your favorite food is. Morality can be validly debated, and thus is not subjective. I feel talking about these distinctions is important.

[@kamarwashington]

@@marvalice3455Thanks for the insightful distinctions

[@marvalice3455]

@@kamarwashington :)

[@ct4888]

That Marco Rupnik bit reminds me of the scene in That Hideous Strength when the the NICE puts Mark in a room full of subtlety distorted religious art. Mark comes to the opposite conclusion they intended by realized that if the evil NICE hates Christianity, then Christianity is probably good.

[@notavailable4891]

Good catch! That is such a spot on comparison too.

[@ruthmaryrose]

Part of the Communist plot to demoralize America so they could take over.

[@CaptainBob42]

The last modern art museum I visited was in Chicago. One prominent display was a glass cabinet with an old vacuum cleaner, a bottle of sand and a jar of buttons. That's not art, that's an insult.

[@1000HolyPlaces]

There's very little more insulting than "found art." Like, come on! Put even a TINY BIT of effort into it!

[@SacredArtbyTiannaWilliams]

As a Catholic sacred artist, my #1 goal with every piece has been to make it beautiful. Because I know that if I succeed in making it beautiful, it will also have something of goodness and truth in it. It will lift the viewer’s heart and mind to God. Every painting is a journey into the heart of God as he reveals himself to me through beauty. ❤

[@charlessteadman2518]

As an artist, thank you for this.

[@OkieAllDay]

E Michael Jones has a book on this very subject called "The Dangers of Beauty"

[@journeytoform]

58 bucks for the book! Expensive!

[@hogansnyder9217]

Ya promote E Michael Jones, he's blowing the trumpet on the Jews

[@newglof9558]

EMJ is a beast

[@mrjustadude1]

​@@journeytoformmaybe your library has it?

[@basedsavage4793]

EmJ stays standing on business 😂

[@asmodeuszdewa7194]

I genuinely like The Resurrection (0:28). It's really efficient in making me think about our mortality and the afterlife. I can't recall any other sculpture that make me feel that strongly like that.

[@ChiaraDBrown]

Thank you for this, Trent.

[@zacharybunker1135]

the designer of the nativity scene talking of how it was made to look mass produced is wild to me, I would never think when making art that I want it to look like a dull unoriginal practical object. also I think some Brutalist architecture can be good in it's right place such as the Kyoto International Conference Center, but nobody should live or worship in a brutalist concrete slab.

[@pablito-e]

The conference center doesn't look so brutalist tbh

[@NMemone]

For a good laugh and a hearty shake of the head look up "minimalist nativity set" 😂

[@Noblebird02]

The only beautiful modern art is environmental friendly, because it atleast seeks to glorify nature, which was after all created by G-d.

[@joane24]

Well, it came from despair and a sense of emptiness, from the beginning of XXth C., but especially taking form in the wake of the two WWs. The so called "transcendal homelessness" (a term coined by Lukács). And it stayed, through the countercultural 60s, and further breakage from a sense of beauty and harmony. Art is but an expression of the spiritual state. If you can't see beauty by your internal eyes, you will be creating what you do see instead: a sense of chaos, insecurity, emptiness, despair.

[@marcomoreno6748]

Just becausd you're in a state of "despair and sense of emptiness" because there's less chauvinism, misogyny, racisms and overt oppression in the world- does not mean everyone else is. Have you considered that you're the problem?

[@joane24]

@@marcomoreno6748 🤦‍♀️ I wasn't talking about personal feelings but the spirit permeating the culture especially in relation to two world wars and how that in turn influenced the culture. Starting from a hundred years ago, mind you. Not anyone's s personal feelings now. 🤦‍♀️

[@dr.danburritoman1293]

@@marcomoreno6748 Catholics oppose the things you just listed. WE are in favor of things like religion in society, upholding good traditions and belief in objective beauty. Without these, you see a rise in depression, anxiety etc. across the entire population.

[@wakomikro]

Just found your channel. Love it, subbed

[@ReuvenKorff]

I remember a comment that Peter Kreeft made about the appreciation of beauty, in which he compared it to the appreciation of food: The subjective part: Taste. You can't argue about what someone thinks tastes good. The objective part: Nourishment. You can certainly argue about what food is healthy or nourishing for the human body. Still thinking about this distinction, but it seems to be helpful for understanding how people relate to beauty!

[@Djamieson713]

Like you said bad/ugly art can be appreciated in the right context, this is also true in music. Music theory teaches which notes/chords sound good together, but sometimes a "bad" note can sound great/interesting when contrasted against a pattern of "good notes". However, our ears can always pick out the note that sounds wrong, even untrained musicians can do this. The picture of the dead tree in the middle of the field looked hauntingly beautiful actually. The problem I have with the art shown at the beginning of the video is that it looks low effort to me.

[@dr.danburritoman1293]

Good take, I fully agree.

[@seagrey75]

Video games too

[@rorubino]

The Basilica of Aparecida in Brazil, the second largest in the world (only surpassed by St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican), is currently being entirely covered with mosaics by Father Marko Rupnik on its exterior. I visited it recently and found everything to be strange and unattractive; nothing seemed to evoke the heavens as it should. When Trent showed this art, I immediately recognized it as the same work I had seen at the Basilica. It's not surprising to me that the priest is involved in sexual scandals.

[@igorlopes7589]

They say art should be an expression of themselves. So when their art is fully disordered it should be a hint of what their souls look like...

[@juliocesarfabianosaboia7330]

The basilica of Aparecida has always been ground zero for these innovations, I don't think there's ever been a time where traditionalism was actively promoted there.

[@saraanic9436]

I recognized that he was a p*rv*rt just by looking at his mosaics. Had no idea about anything before I saw them.

[@GamesXanimeX3]

@@juliocesarfabianosaboia7330 Acho que é por isso que a galera prefere a igreja antiga, e tirando os murais bizarros, parte das construções ainda tão um pouco bonitas

[@juliocesarfabianosaboia7330]

@@GamesXanimeX3 É uma pena porque a igreja nova seria um belo exemplo de arquitetura neoromânica, mas conseguiram estragar com os mosaicos desse padre Rupnik, que é um pedófilo e tarado de longa data.

12:57 "A lot of modern art is bad because it focuses primarily on the artist." The exact opposite of worship.

[@1000HolyPlaces]

Well, it IS worship -- just worship of the self. Which is, quite literally, satanic.

[@greenguitarfish]

When we see a dead tree, the reason it does not convey beauty to our hearts is because we long for the pre curse paradise world we were originally designed for before the curse of sin and death. Also, beautiful art reflects Gods promise of a return to a world without sin and death. A dead tree is a stark reminder of our present realities, and does not help us look forward to that future. Leftists hate even the vague suggestion of a perfect sinless world. But he who sins against me does violence to his own soul; All those who hate me ( God ) love death.” Proverbs 8:36

[@RJKYEG]

There's also a lot of artists who have made a living without the skill and ability for realism, and it's considered impolite to say so.

[@carolynkimberly4021]

Like Biden's son.

[@EyesDoMoreThanSee]

18:10 "an enemy...might be more effective attacking the Church's Beauty instead of its Truth" this is right on the money. I recently heard Fr. Wetta on PWA say something very similar, "Bad art is worse than bad theology". I'm realizing the truth of this more and more, that you can't win with just arguments and logic when Art often speaks to people on a deeper level, especially the mass of people. This was one of my favourite videos from you Trent (and I'm a long time listener who almost never comments.

[@arthurw8054]

Superb presentation, thanks.

[@monikamoldvay6102]

Yay! At 6:52 it's St. Stephen's Basilica of Budapest, Hungary. So glad to see a piece of our precious architecural heritage used as an example for beauty here. Thank you, Trent!

[@newglof9558]

There is something deeply ugly about the people so invested in perpetuating the lie that beauty is subjective. It's as if they know beauty can not be colonized for their usages, so the next best thing is to render it impotent by effectively denying its existence outside of feefees.

[@nsinkov]

But beauty IS subjective. Attraction to symmetry, etc, has a very clear biological origin.

[@igorlopes7589]

​@@nsinkov And?? The fact it has a biological origin only shows that our brains are wired to perceive some things as beauty. Sounds objective to me, since that biological imperative that shapes the notion of beauty is shared by all individuals.

[@nsinkov]

@@igorlopes7589 we're not biologically identical. Symmetry is generally preferable, but not always. There are always disagreements about what is beautiful. So beauty is subjective, don't you agree?

[@newglof9558]

​@@nsinkovwrong. Beauty is relational. Next.

[@nsinkov]

@@newglof9558 relational is a given, but it's still subjective

[@abmrose]

I love your descriptions of art. 😄 I want a “Trent Horn Reviews Art” series so bad 😁

[@vakudibeardefender3953]

"Beauty is objective. But I just don't think that the version you hold is the right one though." - me

[@goddessIv]

As someone who grew up in communist Hungary, these buildings and “art” bring back nightmares. Even as a child I instinctively hated them, though I couldn’t put it into words why, beauty was always important to me. These examples you showed are like the communist-art and architecture we had…there’s nothing new here, these are being rehashed.

[@now591]

Communism never died and has been subverting western culture

[@Justin-yn5py]

It’s terrible how most churches built from the 1970s to now are very modern. Lots of in the round churches, abstract stain glass, no alter rails no reredos. Any church built before this tend to be much more beautiful and reverent. Hopefully the modern style churches will be renovated to recapture the beauty of our tradition

[@Zoie3x8]

Most modern churches i have seen, are not enough to handle such extensive retrofits, without it being more practical to just simply deconstruct the building, and then rebuild it as a traditionalist cathedral-gothic or neo-gothic style church. Most modern churches are also arguably not even fit to be used as houses or homes.

[@steverlfs]

My family is mad at you, for when I watched your video in headphones I kept jumping up shouting, "Yes! Amen to that!" In my opinion, Art Deco was the last really great art movement. After that we descended into Jackson Pollock garbage. I have been in many modern Catholic churches where I feel that I'm waiting to get my teeth drilled, not exactly an uplifting feeling!

[@marcomoreno6748]

You sound like a clown.

[@wet-read]

Everyone craps on Pollock for some reason. I myself prefer Rothko and my favorite AE artist, Clyfford Still. Surrealism is awesome, too. Everyone knows Dali, but a lesser known man, Yves Tanguy, is also good. I discovered him after seeing one of his pieces being used for the cover of a philosophy book.

[@Jchathe]

I love art deco for it's graceful lines and exquisite quality and simplicity

[@lostcharge]

Oh my gosh, didn’t expect the 80s synth mention! It’s so fun. Thanks for this video, I appreciate the nuance that it’s not modern art that is bad. But there is definitely a lot of ugly art out there that people elevate. Thankfully I don’t have to see it that often. :)

[@justinlinarez6757]

I'm a craftsman, not an artist. But classic art makes me want to come back and see it again. Modern art is more like early 1900s circus freaks. They hit you hard to get your attention one time, but after that you think "Eh...you've seen one man with three legs you've seen them all.

[@Johannes3006]

I like the serious face that Mr. Horn has for his thumbnails now.

[@mariecait]

Make truth, beauty and goodness great again ! ❤

[@marcomoreno6748]

Truth is that which comports to reality. Beauty and goodness are subjective- truth.

[@user-jc2vl7of2z]

I love your videos Trent. Your observations on art and architecture are certainly views held by a lot of people. Some art and architecture are intentionally made to shock and upset people - and these "one liner" creations usually fade away over short periods of time. That said, many fine architects and artists usually try to capture the spirit, scale, material beauty and architecturally signifigant space that reflects the great religious buildings of the past. Thoughtful " Modern " can be very meaningful and beautiful.

[@Flibleene]

"And when everyone's super... No one will be." - Trent Horn, March, 2024 (probably) Never heard it put quite this way, but I appreciate the perspective. I miss beautiful buildings.

[@BigFreakingCacodemon]

This will probably be an unpopular opinion, but to add to the "Everything is Beautiful" portion of the video, I think objective beauty can even be found in video games, and I have two examples that I think demonstrate it. First and foremost: Shadow of the Colossus in it's entirety. It is a game about triumph and devastation. And much like "Nighthawks," it has a way of transporting the player into it's beautiful, but barren landscape. I will not spoil the story but in many ways, it mimics the Fall in the Garden of Eden, and redemption that comes of being born again. I think those who have completed the game will understand what I'm talking about. Example 2: The Megalith/Angus Dei soundtrack of Ace Combat 04: Shattered Skies. The Latin lyrics are about Christ Himself. Unfortunately, the soundtrack has become part of a meme that divorces it from it's original context and cheapens it somewhat, but the soundtrack is gorgeous AND elevates the mind to higher things. The soundtrack plays in the final level of the game, which uses explicitly christian symbolism.

[@TheCounselofTrent]

Shadow of the Colossus is a great game and the design is beautiful.

[@marcomoreno6748]

How is that example of "objective" beauty differentiable from just regular usage of "beauty" (subjective by nature)? Is it because your momma/God said you're a very handsome, special boy who has the most special opinions? @TheCounselofTrent This goes for you too.

[@marcomoreno6748]

I stated it facetiously, but I'm sincere in my question- WHAT do you mean it's "objectively beautiful"? It literally just sounds like you're using "objective" as a stand-in to say: "I feel VERY strongly that this is beautiful and I think people who disagree with my take are degenerate."

[@EpoRose1]

Trent Horn saying “This is just a urinal” during one of his videos was not in my 2024 card.

[@jeannefernando4937]

This video is a great listen. The producer has thoughtfully incorporated philosophy and objective observations to make a claim for the transcendental.

[@nightshade8958]

Yup, you said it. This is your best video so far. I am very tired of this ugly world we live in. It's always refreshing to hear someone with the same view as me. Many who criticize modern art fail to understand the lie that is "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder" So they know something is wrong, but stupid quotes hold to much authority to them.

[@slaqdogg]

Great point about modern art keeping us focused downward on the artist's message or humanity's problems. Helps me understand why I've never liked the "Campbell's Soup" paintings and been much more drawn to the expansive, colorful, breathtaking work! Thanks for another great episode Trent and team!

[@pierrecarvalho8773]

Is it done on purpose because life imitates art?

[@marvalice3455]

It's done because beauty is painful to those in sin

[@igorlopes7589]

Yes, art meant to provoke your notions of art, to express disorder will led to the same things in real life and in your spiritual life.

[@Jchathe]

That is the question we should all be asking!

[@clintgolub1751]

Rather than wasting time decrying what we don’t like, I want to see a video showcasing the finest classically trained artists and architects working today, because THEY ARE OUT THERE! I went to an art exhibit with my best friend a few months back at a local gallery that has both modern and traditional pieces and there was a regional woman who creates illuminated manuscript art on actual vellum paper created in the same way monks did centuries ago in Europe. Her artwork was beautiful and looked identical to museum pieces of old monastery book pages. We’re on the cusp of both art and architecture moving back into something more similar to what it was a century ago; “better to light a candle than curse the darkness”.

[@saulmoran7369]

Great video as always, I have always had a feeling that the lack of beauty in some churches has driven me to the fullness of the Catholic church, but I can also see how it can drive people away.

[@Floridiansince94]

In Cuba there are neighborhoods that have the Soviet construction- so ugly, cold, sad, hopeless :/ communism is ugly, cold, sad and hopeless!

[@SRBOMBONICA86]

Lol nothing like Eastern Europe in winter 😂trust me

[@LOG2007]

I almost spitted my coffee when Trent said the picture in the US looks like vomited oil =)))

[@Wiz_Loo]

Amazing video 👌🏼

[@mrlarry271]

I think dead trees and erosion can be beautiful if you put a good black and white filter on it. Have done it before myself. Differ a bit on that part. Glad you mentioned Japanese art at the end there. One of my favorites.

[@andrewcotter2036]

Right, which is exactly why there is nothing objective about a person's taste in art like he tries to make out.