When I think of art, I think of Pablo Picasso and Vincent van Gogh, I think of “The Starry Night” and “Mona Lisa”. Each of these elements represents classic pieces and artists that truly exemplify what it means to paint real art. Nowadays modern art has branched away from such beautiful work to a more simplified approach to art. This transformation in the art world has disappointed me extremely. Don’t get me wrong; some pieces such as Peter Max’s “Umbrella Man” and Yaacov Agam’s “Blessing Rainbow USA (9-11) Agamograph” are truly magnificent pieces of modern art.

However, “Onement VI” by Barnett Newman which recently sold for 43.8 million dollars has left me feeling completely and utterly hopeless for any future masterpieces in the world of modern art that can be compared to van Gogh. “Onement VI” is literally a white stripe on a dark blue canvas. This piece sold for 43.8 million dollars! For a stripe on a blue canvas! When I read the news article covering it I was angry to say the least and shocked that someone would be stupid enough to pay that much for a painting. Newman completed the painting in 1953 and the seller, Sotheby’s described the painting as “Newman overwhelms and seduces the viewer with the totality of its sensual, cascading washes of vibrant blue coexisting with Newman’s vertical “Sign” of the human presence, his iconic and revolutionary “zip.” How on Earth the art seller received this from a white stripe on a blue canvas is beyond me. I decided to do an experiment and recreate the supposed masterpiece using the Windows program Paint. Both my “masterpiece” and Newman’s “masterpiece” are displayed.