On in the modern era does surrounding islands with cloth considered to be art. I try to stay away from "modern" art in the art museums because it looks hideous. There is no talent to it. Some look like paint literally thrown on a canvas. I would hate to say someone trained to do that.
Sometimes it IS paint literally thrown on a canvas. Technique is a tool, not necessarily an end in and of itself. From literature to music to dance to the visual arts profundity often arises from simplicity, while the most technically complex creations often say nothing at all. Modernism in particular needs to be understood in context, as an explicit rejection of techniques/approaches/philosophies that had been in more or less continuous development from Classical Antiquity. From Stravinsky to Picasso to Frank Lloyd Wright, breaking with the old forms has led to some pretty fantastic creations. Technically "easy" movements (abstract expressionism, minimalism, brutalism, folk) mean that while the barriers to entry to the arts are lower, the VIP club is more exclusive than ever.
