Art is culture, right?

I don't like the use of the word "twat" as an insult. Its original meaning is a woman's genitals.

I absolutely agree with what the Guardian critic said - war should not be a subject for an art installation that, as he says, "prettifies" the horrors of war. He found on visiting the memorial, that there was a "fun" atmosphere in the jostling crowd, rather than an opportunity for quiet reflection.

He is accused of "politicising" the issue, but war is a political issue. Arms "Fairs" are big and well-guarded events in London (in the 2011 Fair, Caroline Lucas discovered sales literature for banned cluster bombs). The arms trade, championed by all mainstream political parties, is a significant contributor to our economy.

For those that are interested, the link below is to a report by the Quakers that explores the political efforts that have been, and continue to be, made to militarise the population, and the strategies that are used for doing this.

www.quaker.org.uk/files/Militarisation-briefing-web.pdf

Isn't the poppy installation modern art? And it seems to me that many ordinary and normal people appreciate it rather than regarding it as a joke.

Think Dale's comments are too sweeping to take too seriously.

Think they're both twats.

I agree about Iain Dale's nasty tone but I think Jonathan Jones's tone (if he has been quoted correctly) is nasty too. Perhaps this is how journalists talk about each other?

I think a lot of people would agree, in general terms, with what Dale says about art critics: "They sit in their ivory towers and take issue with anything that normal people tend to appreciate. Instead, they laud praise on modern art which the rest of us regard as a joke."

I haven't read the article, but, to be honest, I'm not at all sure about the display at the Tower. I think Poppy Day should be kept quietly and reverently. It is not something for a modern artist to suddenly make a display of. Remembrance should be kept just as we have always kept it, and hopefully, always will.

I don't know who Jonathon Jones or Iain Dale are.

I don't like the sound of the LBC person.

Iain Dale is the twat here.

The installation is not yet finished - I was there yesterday with my grandson by the way - after Armistice Day they are to be sold at £25 each; in fact I think they've all been sold.

I don't agree with him on art critics.

Nasty tone to the article.

How I hate the use of the word us when someone is giving a personal opinion, particularly when it derides another's, art critic or not, even if considered a twat.

I think the poppy display is beautiful and if one were to get really arty, one could say it's ' a participatory sculptural installation' . I like the idea that people can join in. Ariel shots are magnificent.

I would have liked to see some white poppies included, but from an artistic point of view, would it have had such an impact? Is it art, or is it a memorial? I think it's both.

One hopes that any critic from whatever medium comes from an informed and intelligent understanding of whatever's being critiqued. I'll then make up my own mind.

I find the poppy display at the Tower very moving so I think it should stay.

If you dont know what pleases you why would you think an art critic does. Personally I find most recommendations from critics not to my taste.