Who cares about Picasso?

It recently came to the attention of a few of my friends that certain kids in our (moderately yeshivish) school, Mesivta Yesodei Yeshurun (Touro College High School For Boys),including some in our grade (12th), did not not know who Pablo Picasso was. Obviously some of us were concerned about the lack of basic cultural knowledge in our fellow students. While I profess subscription to the Torah im Torah im Derech Eretz (that isn't a typo) philosophy of Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch and believe in the importance of higher education, I did not find their naivete too problematic.

While it's possible that learning about Picasso and his art we may gain information about art, its history, and what role his art takes in its portrayal of whatever it was meant to portray, I highly doubt that I or any of my friends actually know any of that stuff. And if any of my knew-about-Picasso friends ever do learn about his actual significance, it'll presumably be in college. My didn't-know-about-Picasso friends may learn about him there, also. The only difference is that when Picasso is mentioned, my don't-know-about-Picasso will ask who he is, and will be scoffed for their lack of education. They will then be informed about who he is, and learn about his significance along with the rest of the class. That's hardly a significant deterrent from their general religious, moral, and cultural growth into the world.

Secondly, the sources from which I learned about Pablo Picasso were School of Rock and Crocodile Dundee. While those movies may have been entertaining, and, if you want to stretch it, even slightly morally or culturally educational (not that i would have to be; entertainment for entertainment's sake isn't necessarily evil), I would not condemn anyone for not choosing to watch them. In fact, I probably wouldn't actively watch them again.

The only legitimate problem with their naivete in regards to who Pablo Picasso was, is that it is is symbolic of a larger problem with the system I am a part of. And that is the lack of even the most basic form of any art education whatsoever. While it probably would have been considered extremely boring by almost all students in both of my all male schools, it should have at least been offered as an elective. Although, art is often creative, expressive, and inspiring, which, of course, could lead people off the derech (or worse, make them gay).

Earlier that day, one of those students also asked who Steve Jobs was. I exclaimed shock, loudly. My room and class mate was upset. "Why is it bad that he doesn't know who Steve Jobs is?" he asked. The teacher quieted me down before I responded. There are two reasons why I believe that not knowing who Steve Jobs is worse than not knowing who Pablo Picasso is. Firstly, Steve Jobs was much more of a key figure in modern news. Anyone who read a newspaper or magazine in the past five years would know who Steve Jobs was. Knowing current events is essential for cultural, social, moral, and religious reasons. Secondly, Steve Jobs offers inspiration to the future generations for not only his intelligence and innovation, but also his work ethic and persistence.

Anyways, this naivete is only apparent in certain students, and I hope it'll change quickly. I also have to go to night seder.