In one pop sculpture exhibition, I stared so long at a coffee machine until an attendant came over and asked me if there was a problem with the refreshments.
- abstract paintings by someone universally regarded as "good", and something done by a very young child?
- a piece of new, legitimate, modern art vs maybe a pile of random things from a junkyard
I'm aware it might just be me that's confused, but I have a suspicion much of the abstract and/or modern art world is void of value...that is, without lots of context about the artist and their intentions.
What's hard to a appreciate is a semi-arranged pile of trash that's supposed to be a commentary on "disposable society". But which required little time or skill to create.
For example, you can look at an Impressionist painting, and most people would agree that by itself, it has some aesthetic value. Knowing the context of that painting might make it even more valuable, in other ways.
However, the pile of trash you mention does not hold any intrinsic value by most standards (you can find lots of those in any alley), but knowing the context, the commentary and the intention, makes it valuable.
Think of it like an inside joke.
A picture of Mozart (even if appearing by chance in the sand) isn't in my definition of these abstract or modern art pieces that are confusing to me. I'm asking about the things that I have trouble recognizing as something worth looking at. Blobs and splatters of paint, or as shown elsewhere in the comments, a bag of garbage.
One way to think about art is that each piece is made at a point in time but is participating in a long din of conversation(s). If you don't understand the general arc of the conversation (or at least the conversation going on right around you), you will miss some of the aesthetic value of any piece. This is as true of Michelangelo as it is of Barnet Newman even if you have more context-free aesthetic/technical appreciation for Michelangelo's work.
Most museums also have docents which are usually more than happy to talk about various pieces.
I definitely thought one exhibit at a modern art museum was junk from a remodel or something, because it was a pile of drywall, plastic sheeting, and other types of normal construction junk.
Here's an interesting article that addresses your question (well, partially):
http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/2011/03/1...
http://hoaxes.org/archive/permalink/pierre_brassau_monkey_ar...
Though they had an art toys exhibit where the line was less clear. especially the playground jungle gym based art. The signs did little to stop kids..
If something speaks to you, don't let anybody hold you back :)