“Bulls**t makes art more Profound”

The idea that “Bullshit makes art more Profound” sounds a bit cheeky but there’s something oddly true about it. What we often dismiss as pretentious, over-the-top, Art sales / gallery bollocks can actually pull us in and make us think a bit harder.

Take a simple example: you paint a beautiful still life of a lemon.

Call it:

“Lemon No. 1” ~ Nice, clear, straightforward.

Or better still what about “Untitled” ~  suddenly a bit more intriguing.

Then try “Mediterranean Citrus” ~ now we’re imagining sun, travel, maybe a hint of philosophy.

Or really ramp it up and call her “Adrumi del Mediterrano” Suddenly people are nodding thoughtfully with a complete lack of the Italian Language.

Nothing about the painting has changed… but somehow it feels more meaningful. Funny, isn’t it?

This happens because the moment something isn’t completely obvious our brains jump in to fill the gaps. We start asking questions, making connections, giving it weight it didn’t necessarily have before.

Art history is full of this kind of thing. There’s that story about Peggy Guggenheim encouraging Jackson Pollock to rename a painting “Moby Dick” to the more mysterious “Pasiphaë.” Same painting, different title?

And it’s not just titles—it’s stories too. Think about Van Gogh:

“Oh, the guy who cut off his ear.” “Wasn’t he also an amazing painter?” “Well… yes. But that’s not the first thing people say.”

The myth, the drama, the backstory. It all becomes part of how we experience the art. Sometimes it even overshadows the work itself.

So maybe instead of trying to separate “real” art from “pretentious” art, it’s more interesting to admit that this mix of ambiguity, storytelling and yes a bit of “bullshit,” is part of the whole thing. Artists contribute to it, critics feed it, Galleries play on it and audiences run with it. And... In a strange way, that’s what keeps art alive.

Because when something is just obvious, we move on but when it’s slightly confusing, slightly exaggerated, maybe even a bit ridiculous we just talk about it!

We argue. We interpret. We remember it.

So maybe that “bullshit” isn’t a problem after all.

Maybe it’s the spark that gets everyone thinking.

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