ESL Discussion: Why is modern art so bad?

If you don’t agree with the statement “Modern art is terrible!” then you’re not gonna appreciate the video we use in this discussion. Personally, I am a great fan of Western art from all time periods, including today. There’s a lot of good stuff and even more bad stuff, that’s for sure, but that’s pretty normal for any time period. We keep the best stuff around, so the only things you see from the 18th century was the cream of the crop. Probably plenty of junk showed up, too!

Anyway, this video is a bit of a one-sided conversation, as the presenter clearly believes that art took a nose dive during the 20th century, but his discourse is so closed that it actually creates a great discussion. For those who agree with him, they will have plenty of new ammo next time they talk about art in an English setting. And for those who disagree, they get to poke holes in his arguments and dissect his thesis.

Your group do not need to be art lovers to enjoy this discussion, but it will certainly be extra interesting for those who follow it.

Start with the warm-up question: Why is modern art so bad? And have your students make a list of reasons why or why not. Watch the video once, then see if anything from the list was mentioned.

There are 4 examples given in the PDF for the group activity, where students will compare and contrast traditional and contemporary art. When printing the PDF out, be sure to choose only pages 1 and 2 so that you don’t kill your printing quota! Then, screen share the images if possible to get their group activity under way.