The Magnificent Descend of Modern Art & Architecture
- dustincathro
- Mar 20
- 17 min read
The culturally bankrupt western society of Canada and the United States can best be reflected in its artistic representations that are most popular amongst its consumers. This reflection or the lack thereof is best captured in the modern art scene. No longer do great civilizations create monuments in celebration of life, but rather they build them for profit. This isn't me saying that Capitalism is at fault. It is really quite the opposite at work, in fact, art is under threat by a much more sinister idea. The idea that we are all the same and equal. The ones who wage war on individual freedom and speech. Yes you guessed it, it is the socialists and left leaning extremists who are derailing art.
Look no further than in the sky at the sterile apartment complexes that are copy and pasted over and over. Nothing proclaims our ideals louder than to build tall sterile boxes for people to live in. We see movies remade and ideas regurgitated over and over. It goes even further, in our modern art, artists, who in the name of some meaningless nihilism raise the alarms calling for ‘Down with the patriarchy,’ or ‘Eurocentrism!’ as a kind of self blaming superiority complex, or more obviously a virtue signaling movement used to defile the current categorical imperatives that built the West.
We can see this visually in the modern film industry with its call to support a variety of groups based on their identity. This is an obvious attempt for these industries to proclaim some kind of ‘fairness’ or ‘equitable’ ideal that is not so much about talent and entertainment, but is about telling people what to think and ingenious tokenism (the only kind). It has always been in bad taste to tell people what to think, as if they themselves couldn't figure out what is worth supporting and believing.
This coincides with how the art scene has imploded itself over the last 20 years. In some nihilistic name it has destroyed itself for meaningless virtue signaling and hollow ideals. This comes at the cost of renouncing the old traditions of the West and adopting unreasonable views and opinions. This ingenuine renunciation has contributed to the empty husks of our current humanity. The idea that we are not connected to the past in some sophisticated and intrinsic way is absurd of course, but as all things there is an equal resistance that is trying to stop this purposeful pursuit to destabilize the Western culture and legacy.
In this Essay I will explore some of the common artistic themes that have been lost to the overarching nihilism and political propaganda. Firstly, I believe the idea that art is a vehicle of not only the human spirit but inspiration. It is now a thing that is being used to make us stupid and the same. There is nothing more obvious to me than the propaganda machines desire to make us numb and dumb to reality. To have us all believe the same monolithic solutions while we chant its slogans of equality, diversity and all the other buzzwords of our modern time. Most of the propagandists want us to put our faith in their institutions, their government, and their ideals. This is because at the heart of their idea they have a hope to stop the suffering of humanity. Though it is admirable, it is not achievable.
There will always be human suffering. Despite how much we trade our freedoms for safety, there is no univocal intervention that will stop the suffering of humanity. It is only on the individual level that we can free ourselves from suffering. We have in our hands our own destiny and the free will to rise above our own circumstances. This is what the West built itself upon. To rise oneself from the ashes of chaos and stand oneself against the hardships of life. To now get to my first point, I want to express how nihilism and socialism is deeply embedded into our modern architecture and how man's private life is under attack.
The Sterile Shape of Modern Architecture
Not so long ago magnificent cathedrals and castles were made to celebrate man's most sacred ideals. A testament of the conquering of nature, or better yet the proclamation that there is something bigger than ourselves worth celebrating. This we find most evident in how different cultures have created stunning and elaborate architecture.
Looking back in history I always found the most profound appreciation of the gothic architecture of the 12-18th century. For hundreds of years human beings created amazing, wonderful and brilliant monuments. Many still stand today as testaments of a time much more in love with life and religion than our own. It is hard to imagine sometimes what brilliance and tools were used to create things that none could recreate today. It is as if we live in a time where our predecessors were more skilled and knowledgeable than our present. We truly stand on the shoulders of giants.
This goes further than simply the Western gothic architecture, but other cultures have created amazing things as well. For example; The Mahabodhi Temple in India, Long Shan in Taiwan, The Temple of Heaven in China, and The Temple of Emerald in Thailand.
It is without a doubt these structures were built in love and celebration of some of the greatest religious and philosophical ideals of its cultures. One can look in awe at some of these ancient structures as representations of these ideals. A manifestation of the imagination of what a temple ought to look like. In regards to one's beliefs and ideals these cultures created magnificent things long before the use of heavy equipment and advanced technology. (Maybe with some exception).
There is much to celebrate in the past, architects and engineers came together and created some extravagant vision of what temples and cathedrals should represent. It is not to say that there are still not creative things being built, but it is to say that we should look at our modern architecture as something that is reflecting our modern ideals. This is where the symptom of a greater problem in our culture is manifesting.
I look in some of the major cities in my country, specifically metro Vancouver and Toronto where sky rises are being built at drastic rates, and people are paying absurd amounts to live in low quality, uninspired boxes. I have a few problems with this new modern construction. First, it looks like every other phallic tower they raise into the sky. The layouts are similar, and much about them is copy and pasted. Of course there are exceptions to this rule, but nothing screams sterile, uninspired architecture than our modern day skyscrapers. Colourless, characterless, faceless, these buildings are being put up and without even a sense of shame. The human spirit is not so vibrant as it once was. We appear uninspired and drown with rules and bureaucracy.
Why this matters is because it is a reflection of the values in our society. It is the faceless and oneness of the greater theme I am observing in our culture. That is the idea that we are all one, equal, copied, and uniform. Some may say that I am being rather dramatic about these bold assertions, some may even say that the lack of housing supply makes these homes more affordable and simple to build. While there may be some validity to these points, one cannot help but wonder if these designs are part of a broader theme. I on my part believe that these buildings are either purposefully being built to be uninspiring, or they simply are just a reflection of the current spirit of our humanity. Nonetheless, the end result is the same.
Private Life is Under Threat
Home is important. Not just the location, but the very buildings and design of the houses we live in. It is much more than simply a location, because if location was all that inspired a man, he would pitch his tent in the most beautiful places and never leave. Home is much more than a location, it is a sanctuary from the mundane of civil society. But what happens when the mundane of civil life creeps its way into man's sanctuary? What happens to a man who has no place to escape from the public eye?
It's simple really. In a man's house, all the rules of civil society can be thrown to the wayside. If he so chooses to lay in the nude, or smoke a cigarette, he very much can do so. He need not obey the rules of the outside world. It is his sanctuary, his place where he is free to do as he pleases. If he chooses to paint a wall, or to not clean his toilet, he may. It is why the home must be free of the rules of civil society. The home should be a place of creation, rest and whatever a man may need. It is why I believe it is under attack by this new way of living. Man is changing, he is becoming a copy, a fraud. A fake you could even say.
Man does not want to live in a copy and paste box, he wants to be free. It is unnatural for a man to be ruled by the pettiness of his neighbours who do not like his music, or to whom may not appreciate the late night renovations a man must sometimes undergo. You may feel your condominium is a pleasant place, one that is even rather enjoyable. You may even have access to amenities and parks, but I reckon, if any man had his own mind he would choose to have his own private space. Far and separate from neighbours and civil nonsense. It is the private life that makes a man what he is, and when one lives close in proximity it is an uninspired type of living. This closeness makes a man live in fear of making his neighbours upset or irritated. It is no way to live. It is simply just another form of surveillance.
Man was not built to live with such restraint. The home should be sacred and I mean this in the most private sense. If you are not free to be yourself in your private life, it creates a type of complex. One where surveillance is normalized and anxieties of all sorts manifest themselves. As in public life, there are many expectations and formalities that one must abide by. Now where architecture involves itself in these matters is that by copy and pasting these condominium type complexes, it begins to take away the unique spirit of the individual. By this I mean that it is uninspiring, man becomes rather dull when he lives in a box. His home does not become some reflection of himself, but a reflection of some cheap copy of what he thinks he ought to be. Man's thoughts are not his own. Advertising and influencers spread their seed. Thought is forgotten. Unnecessary even.
Man must ensure his thoughts are his own, his dreams and ideals should be manifested not only on the exterior, but also the interior of where he resides. Home is a place to rest and recharge oneself from civil life. It is why the home is a sanctuary from the public sphere, one that should at the very least be inspiring, unique even. I imagine it would bring some great peace and satisfaction if folk had a place to call home. A place to escape the mundane shallowness of public life. It's simple really, man needs space to grow, and these condominiums are like pots that are too small. We do not need uniform sky rises, and 15 minute cities.
The economics of our modern times are forcing folks into the city centres. People have no choice but to live in such places. It is the will of the most powerful organizations and propagandists to make this so. It is why it is happening. Man does not want to live like this, he is being coerced. Subtle as it may be, the agenda of the World Economic Forum is no joke. The goals of our nations are driven by ideologues who have a vision of a certain future. One where man no longer has this private life that I deem is so important. We need privacy, and space to grow ourselves. We are like a plant that has outgrown its own pot.
Furthermore, I am under the impression that powerful organisations influenced by anti-human ideals (WEF) are looking to make things cost more money. If people lack financial security they may choose not to reproduce. Though this in itself is an entirely different issue it is worth mentioning that part of the war on man's private life is by these organisations. As I stated before, it is in the interest of certain folks to eliminate the private life of the average man. In doing so it will smother us into a docile uninspired tax paying machine. If we aren't already.
A final musing I have on this idea of the condominium is that a contrary idea can exist and be true. That by pure necessity one can recreate themselves in dire circumstances. That where a man lives is not as important as how he lives. Each and everyone of us can become better, whether you live in an open space or uniform apartment complex. It has not so much to do with the actual place itself, just simply that different men succeed and fail under certain conditions. Each are different and vary from their own, but to be clear, it is the rare man that can lift himself from some kind of hell. I am merely stating my own hell and suffering. What I have found is true about myself. And since this is true about myself, I am sure it is true in others.
Film Media; The Descend into Shameless Entertainment
There has always been a demand for entertainment, but it has become more and more evident that Hollywood has run out of ideas and talent. When redundant movies and low quality films saturate the market and are celebrated, it's time to look at what we value. At one point or another quality over quantity is what we ought to strive for. Binge watching tv shows and consuming tasteless films, has become a normal practice. But at what point must we take the spoon from our mouth and stop perpetuating the machine that keeps feeding us?
Let us first begin by pointing out the superhero movie fad that has taken over the screens in the last decade. Superhero movies have saturated the film market, The Avengers, Spiderman, Captain America, Aqua Man, the list goes on. These movies are not so much about creating great films, but more about making money. No one watches these movies because the acting is good, or because the story is inspiring. It is at the most basic level, entertainment. Though there is no shame in creating entertainment, between the superhero fads and the rise of trashy dating shows like; The Bachelor or the Kardashians, it should only be tolerated, not celebrated.
This, as my point is with architecture, is a sign of something bigger. We are amusing ourselves to death. This idea of ‘Binge watching’ tv shows is an unhealthy behaviour. This type of consuming is concerning, because it is not only normalized but even encouraged. Netflix even goes as far as having a ‘Binge Worthy’ category. People are wasting more time than ever. But why?
These consumption patterns indicate to me a broader societal effect, one that expresses the current state of our spiritual domain. It is troublesome when we look forward to mediocre trash, despite it having no depth or artistic texture. I believe this is a symptom of our lack of desire to pursue something profound or meaningful in our lives. This is why I see the film industry as guilty of perpetuating consumers, and not creators. A cheap and temporal fix to a deep and concerning problem.
The collapse of Hollywood and its perpetuating creation of mediocre content could open the gates to amazing stories and cinema. Let me explain, when predictable economic outcomes can be generated by specific movie groups, such as superhero movies, it closes the door to other options in cinema. It means that producers will aim for the guaranteed financial success over the less popular uncertainty.
Modern films hide behind a safety net. It is why I suppose that so many movies will never be great. That is because they are too safe, too simple and too predictable. It is also in the nature of large companies such as Netflix to give short timelines for films to be made. Producers have less time than ever to create movies, and this too is a reflection of the consumer market that is devouring content at a rate that it can't even produce fast enough.
My point behind unpacking the modern film scene, is that even here in one of our oldest forms of entertainment (Theatre in mind) we find a nihilistic and spiritless consumption of films that have little to zero cultural value. It is not that great movies are still not being created, it is simply that the majority of these films are mediocre, and are more concerned about ideological principles than pushing the boundaries of creativity or carving a new path. One does not have to look hard to see the flags of socialism and racial tokenism in modern movies.
Film media has generally been dominated by liberal ideals, but in the last twenty years it has become more about telling people what to think, opposed to simply just making movies. Particularly, a focus on race and gender through the vessels of token actors has awakened in Hollywood. It is to say that the industry is not so much about talent, as it is about telling people how to behave and what to think. It has become a type of propaganda in the form of anti-capitalism, anti-white and anti-west rhetoric. This rather extreme view is costing the industry billions of dollars. Not only because it's not original and monolithic, but it's untrue.
It is not fashionable to propagate lies, or to hire folk into positions because of arbitrary reasons that are out of one's control (Such as race). This is because these categorical imperatives are not relative to talent or excellence. Hiring someone to do a job based on these premises is in fact insulting. People should be hired to do a job if they are the best candidate. There should be no other reason considered. It is a senseless world to not hire by merit.
This leads me to my next point about how artificial intelligence and social media consumption is dumbing us down. Perpetuating us to be less creative and more of a consumer than creator. This is a growing issue, one that has many unforeseen and unknowable consequences.
The Rise of AI in Art and Social Media Consumption
Art has always been a human achievement. We have all been creators at one time or another. Some of us gave it up in childhood, but still today adults continue to create. Everyone needs to fulfill the deep desire we have inside each and every one of us. We all know we can be better, and creating things is a guaranteed way to have more life satisfaction. It is natural to create, we as humans have always created things, it is what has helped us rise into our current modern world. But our creativity has been under threat for a long while. If this essay has not expressed that to you yet, then you will know now that Artificial Intelligence (AI) is already working against us.
Nihilism is a condition that is affecting the western culture rapidly. AI has become a tool that is writing and creating art in forms more rapidly than humans. This is a bad start to how we should use AI to help us. It is in my opinion that we should not use AI to create works of art, we should use it to do the everyday mundane tasks that take time away from our family, our creation, and our leisure.
Imagine if AI could be used to do your dishes, cut your lawn or clean your house? These are things that can save one time to be better put to something else. Though some may find satisfaction in these menial tasks, there are others who would prefer to spend this time with their family, or perhaps work on a personal project outside of work. This is what I believe AI should be focused on. Using AI to create art is perhaps the most anti-human thing we can do. It is taking away something that is ancient and profound and selling it to us for cheap.
If anything, we have gone too far with our technology. I am not one to stop the pursuit of creating a better future, but I am afraid that we have been making society worse as we pursue our technologically dependent world. Homelessness, lack of housing, lack of affordability, and the rise of poverty in my nation has struck me as anything but the right direction. The solution isn't more government, or more equality. These are complicated issues, and AI has its role in bringing down people who consume it dangerously. It alone is not to blame for our current societal situation, but it plays a role in the spiritual state of our modern world, one that is clearly not in good standing.
AI is contributing to the dampening of humanities spirit. It is perhaps an unpopular opinion, but sometimes taking a step back is in fact progress. AI gives us many gifts, but it also comes at a cost. One that is not entirely clear. I fear that we will live in a world much like Aldous Huxley's A Brave New World. One where we are provided with all we need but at the cost of a soulless and sterile existence. We must put aside the algorithms of social media, video games, and television and create something ourselves.
Social Media is Creative Poison
More than ever before people spend countless hours on their phones and computers consuming social media and entertainment. Artificial algorithms are leading the way, providing consumers what they want and in large quantities. The average American spends about 186 minutes a day on their social media platforms. Imagine if half of that could be spent doing something creative?
Tiktok is of course the front runner in social media consumption, its format of short videos are entertaining and addicting. You can learn more about this in my other essay The Rise of The Nihilistic Manchild, which unpacks some of the long term consequences of social media consumption. Have you ever caught yourself aimlessly scrolling? Unable to look away as we helplessly feed our dopamine receptors? You are not alone, the creators of these things know very well what they have done. It is by design, do not be fooled. Your phone is doing exactly what it is designed to do. You can decide for yourself if it's a nefarious thing or not.
As most things, moderately using these platforms are key in sustaining our own creative abilities. Limiting time and exposure is an important step in gaining back what I call our creative sovereignty. We need to safeguard ourselves from becoming mere consumers, and it's important to create things to feel a sense of accomplishment. May that be creating online content, or working with one's hands. It is important as a human being to create, build, design and engineer. We are at our best when we are doing these things.
It is also important to note that if we use social media and AI as a tool, it can actually be something that compliments us , in fact it may even inspire us. It is a tool with unknown potential, but at the same time it is a dangerous and addictive technology to play with. Inspiration can come from these things, but let us not depend on it as a crutch for our own creative endeavours. It can be a guide, a hint even. But it should not replace our imagination.
Conclusion
I have many thoughts on art, and much that I have left unsaid in this essay. Art is an umbrella category for a large body of rather complicated forms of self expression, and I do not mean to make sweeping dramatic statements about its condition. But I have been left with no other choice but to point out the blatant use of political ideologies and propaganda that are behind its current state. My problem as I stated throughout this essay is that modern art has sold itself in the name of some tokenistic, virtue filled, political endorsement. One that it doesn't even believe in itself. From modern architecture to the film industry, we are under attack by ideologies that mean to undermine our individual potential.
It is my firm belief that these ideas go deeper than just the few topics I touched on here. Specifically in regards to how art has become something that is created by the few and consumed by the many. Fewer people are creators, when compared to consumers. Especially when we look at things such as; video games, music, film, social media and more traditional forms, such as; theatre, painting, and drawing. People are less involved in creating, and are more involved in the consumption of these products. I believe that if people were to take back their creative sovereignty they could ignite unawakened passions and live more satisfying lives. Art is not just something to consume, it's something we should have intertwined in our own lives as a daily practice. Just as we should exercise our body, our mind too, needs to create things to be healthy.
It is not a conspiracy that there are powerful forces behind the propaganda that is in the art scene. I believe by critically looking at what people are creating around us, and asking what is driving the current art trends, you will find the soulless nihilism that I am speaking of. A brave new world is awakening. One much like Aldous Huxley's prophetic novel. Frighteningly, I cannot close my eyes, nor my mind to these matters. I dare you to look at all those around you, watch their emotionless faces, their uniform outfits, and similar slogans as they repeat and regurgitate ideas that are not their own. You will find a dangerous totalitarianism behind it. One that endears an impossible quest, to erase all suffering by erasing all that is human.
Look out into the streets at the sea of homeless people. Look out at those staring blankly at their phones and screens. Empty husks of men that are beaming with potential, but are too addicted and entertained to bother. It is a sad humanity to let ourselves fall to this. As I have said before, it is an individual revolution. We all must find our own way to realize our own potential. Your government will not save you. In fact they very well may be the ones working against you. I encourage people to first take back their own creative sovereignty. This will bring you deep satisfaction and perhaps a reminder that we are more than simply consumers. We are creators of our own destiny.
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