According to a post over at Engadget, ever-controversial artist David Hockney feels that we are experiencing a “fallow period in painting” and pins the declining interest in contemporary art on … wait for it … the iPod.

Despite my knee-jerk eye-roll (Oh no! The iPod will destroy art and then lay waste to our cities! We must descend to the caves before the iPhone is released!), I’m given cause to consider Hockney’s ideas more deeply thanks in part to the surprisingly intelligent comments section of the post:

• Mr. Hockney has been trying to rip apart his own medium for years and now he is concerned that the iPod is ruining contemporary art. What contemporary art is lacking is craft, there is way too much meaning in current art and not enough craftsmanship. Posted by brycelb @ Jun 15th 2007 1:54PM
• Ultimately, the greatest enemy to contemporary art is contemporary art itself, not the iPod nor the music it carries. I find, in personal experience, that listening to music allows me to concentrate all the more keenly on my surroundings, and sharpens my visual perception. One medium of artistic expression cannot be compromised or blamed for the decline of another. Posted by Jordan Louis @ Jun 15th 2007 9:11AM
• An ipod can do nothing but teach you to respond, react, and be a great audience member in society. The ipod is to shut out the world and focus on yourself- your personal soundtrack to life. Now consider Contemporary art. You HAVE to participate. You have to think. You have to look, look, and look again deeper than the surface and possibly be faced with a different outcome than you expected. You have to be patient. You have to get up off your arse and walk to the Museum, Park, etc, to see the work. You might even have to read. Posted by Wes @ Jun 15th 2007 2:58PM

Very interesting discussion and worth a look.

Link: Engadget: iPod blamed for stealing the thunder from contemporary art (06/15)