My experience has been that museums of modern art are dominated by styles of art that are highly stylized or abstract, or just plain weird or ugly. I really like some of it (the stylized, abstract, and/or weird – not the ugly), but I also like more traditional styles of art. By that, I mean representational, recognizable, more or less idealized, and beautiful, – whether the themes be scripture passages and classical scenes, or modern allegories and fantasy.
The good news is that, while this style seems to be underrepresented in some museums of modern art, it is alive and well. There is some amazing work being done by artists here on Cape Ann, and I have also found some artists’ personal websites from around the world with gorgeous work.
If you enjoy this kind of art, one site that will knock your socks off is the Art Renewal Center. I especially recommend viewing the works from their “International 2011-2012 ARC Salon“. Don’t limit yourself to viewing the winners; every page, including the finalists and honorable mentions, is full of amazing work. (Be prepared for artistic nudity.) I would include an image in this post, but they have copyright warnings all over the site, and I don’t want to step on anyone’s toes…
Perpetual Learner 