Christian Caliandro: Why Art Must Not Entertain

In a critical essay on Artribune, Christian Caliandro argues that contemporary art has been corrupted by demands from power structures to entertain, provide solutions, and be easily consumable. Drawing on Francis Scott Fitzgerald's 'The Crack-Up', Caliandro distinguishes between the 'fighetto' artist—focused on immediate results, profit, and individualism—and the 'non-fighetto' artist who embraces authentic negativity, deviation, and constructive failure. He asserts that art lives only in dysfunction and uselessness, dying when subjected to calculation and efficiency. The essay critiques the pressure on culture to offer ready-made happiness and digestible experiences, insisting that art's true models are existential, non-utilitarian, and anti-gratification. Caliandro, an art historian and professor at the Accademia di Belle Arti di Firenze, calls for a return to art's disruptive, contemplative nature.