Shortcomings of Modern Art

“The art of the past was produced for a public that wanted it and understood it, by artists who understood and sympathized with their public; the art of our time has been, for the most part, produced for a public that didn’t want it and misunderstood it, by artists who disliked and despised the public for which they worked.” (Kenyon Cox, Online book: Artist and Public and Other Essays on Art)

In our time, the artist and the public has been divorced just like how it was shown in the short story “A Hunger Artist.” The fact alone that the hunger artist was caged shows how separated he was from the public.

“...he was therefore the sole completely satisfied spectator of his own fast.” This interpretation by Kafka is really true. The hunger artist was the only one who can witness and understand his own art. All others may believe that he cheated and found a way of making his fast easy. It just shows how the public questioned his art and most probably, it would follow that the public never understood his craft.

After forty days of fasting, the hunger artist was freed by the impresario although he wanted to continue his craft. Let’s take a look at these lines: “The impresario came forward, without a word -- for the band made speech impossible – lifted his arms in the air above the artist, as if inviting Heaven to look down upon this creature here in the straw, this suffering martyr, which indeed he was, although in quite another sense...” I strongly agree with Kafka as to how he interpreted the hunger artist’s feeling. Yes, the hunger artist indeed suffered. It was stated by Kafka that it was “in quite another sense” perhaps because he didn’t suffer of the fasting itself. He loved what he did. In fact, he wanted his craft of fasting to last for more than forty days since he believed that he was in his best fasting form. But the impresario didn’t allow this. The impresario’s control over him was an addition to his suffering. He was the only one who felt dissatisfaction while everyone else was satisfied of the whole event. It was stated in the story that, “To fight against this lack of understanding, against a whole world of non-understanding, was impossible.” This again, shows how the public misunderstood the artist and his craft, and the artist despised of the public he worked for.

After many years of working as a hunger artist, he felt that he wasn’t popular now. He moved to a large circus and left the impresario who has managed him in an unparalleled career. In the circus, he was given the chance of fasting as long as he wanted. He has waited for this moment where he was free of any limitations. As time passed by, he can’t fool himself of the truth that the public was more interested of the wild animals in the circus than a hunger artist who has turned into a “has been”.

“He might fast as much as he could, and he did so; but nothing could save him now, people passed him by. Just try to explain to anyone the art of fasting! Anyone who has no feeling for it cannot be made to understand it.” These lines by Kafka are of great impact. It is really true – no one could understand the feeling of fasting unless they have appreciated it. The emergence of a new public who weren’t able to appreciate the hunger artist’s craft was evident.

I agree to Kafka as he said, “...since it was not the hunger artist who was cheating, he was working honestly, but the world was cheating him of his reward.” The hunger artist here has been accused by a passer-by of swindling which gave him more depression. It wasn’t the reward he was supposed to receive after all he has done.

“It is this lack of sympathy and understanding between the artist and his public – this fatal isolation of the artist – that is the cause of nearly all the shortcomings of modern art.” (Kenyon Cox) These – lack of sympathy and understanding – were shown in the short story almost paragraph-by-paragraph. For me, Kafka has successfully interpreted the hunger artist and his craft. People who have intently read on this story might as well have understood the hunger artist and appreciated it as well.