Bravo
First of all, yes, I know these “Morning After” posts are increasingly coming after noon. I have a lot of things going on. Thus, I have decreed that the morning now lasts until 3:30 p.m. At which time, Cocktail Hour immediately begins. There is no longer an afternoon.
Now for last night’s TV. I was suspicious of Bravo’s Work of Art when it debuted; there are so many genres of art and types of artist that it seemed to me like making an edition of Top Chef that included candymakers, and bartenders, and deli-counter guys. I am still suspicious of Work of Art, but for different reasons. I’m not sure whether or not it’s an accurate picture of aspiring artists, a representative look at the current art scene or a fair re-creation of the artistic process.
But so far, it’s pretty entertaining TV. The constantly hustling nature of many of the contestants—they’re often pitching themselves as much as they are defending their work—makes for as much drama as any past Bravo competition series. And it’s at least as fun to play armchair art critic as food or fashion critic.
The humanities major in me wonders whether the format rewards art that its creators can explain more literally, whereas great art is supposed to express the inexpressible. (Or, for that matter, advertise Audis.) But do we care about that at 10 p.m. on a Wednesday night? I’ll take any show that gives me the great coinage “painterbation.” Do you find the show worthy of display?