Painter of Modern Life, Charles Baudelaire Argues

¶ … Painter of Modern Life," Charles Baudelaire argues that the artist functions as the ideal representative of what is defined as valuable within the modern historical moment. The art that is produced in an era will show the morals and communal ideology of the majority population and will also show the dissenting viewpoints of the minority populations. Art and, by extension, the artist show the truth of society in both its pleasant and unpleasant contexts. There are specific characteristics which are required in order for an individual to transcend childhood curiosity and become an adult artist. It is curiosity and observation which are eternal and allow for an artist to portray the world with honesty and integrity.

In this article, Baudelaire describes an artist who he calls Monsieur G. And reflects that this man created a painting entitled "The Man of the Crowd" wherein a singular moment is presented where a man is monitoring the world around him. Instead of taking part in the action of the scene, he is on the periphery of the image, watching others be active. By watching, he is taking note of small details and recording them for others to see. Therefore, the scene is a duality in that the audience is viewing the man who is viewing others. The painting is not only a comment on the things that the man sees, but also a comment on how people see the man and, consequently, how people view and judge others.

This example fits the present psychology of the masses in that the culture in which we live is become more and more of a spectator sport; more and more often people watch others in their activities without participating. It is fast becoming a passive culture full of visual stimuli without much substance. In the past, such as at the time that Baudelaire was writing, this was not as much the case. If everyone is an observer and part of the spectator community, then what makes an individual an artist in the modern world is the ability to analyze their observations and make what is seen applicable to the larger world order.

Contrary to this idealized version of the artist, Ben Singer argues that modernity disallows the perfection and idolization of the artist that was seen in earlier times. Instead, the modern era is one of sensationalism, where what is given the most attention is not things which are beautiful, but that which is unattractive or scandalous. These aspects have always been part of the zeitgeist, such as when looking at newspapers or literature of an era. However, as time progresses, this need to examine the seedier aspect of existence is taking higher priority to beauty.