LOOKING AT ART WITH SPARK NO.21

There's been a lot of grumbling of late among the mob. Much has been made of the supposed distinction between the 'art world' and the 'art market.' It's easy to deflate a balloon if you've never been aloft.

Unless you claim to be a creationist you must recognize that artists like lemurs and chimpanzees perish if nature deems them unfit.

I was in attendance at the recent auctions in New York and I can tell you that the atmosphere was electric! Those folks with the silver cufflinks are the real art lovers. Waiting in line and dropping a twenty to see a few Magrittes is patty-cake compared to what I saw the other night.

Face it, it's been years since post-modernism successfully defanged formalism of its supreme authority in determining quality and worth. Is it my fault that they forgot to replace it with something else? The market which is much more savvy in the strategies of survival quickly stepped in to fill the void.

Explain to me what exactly is wrong with money being the arbiter of value? It works with oil futures and durable goods. Why shouldn't it work with paintings?