@twouptom - this is not the place to discuss tastes in art. You have an opinion, I have an opinion, we are both entitled to our opinion, obviously 'sex' is a problem area with you - it does not concern me - the looking for and engaging moving parts of what became our sexual apparatus is shrouded in the 'Ancients' of 300 million or longer, years ago.
The pre-history of our world, where plants first began 'looking for a partner' is no longer shrouded in mystery, thanks to some clever scientists etc. you even get good show on TV or U-Tube explaining early life. Some of those displays of 'sex' are still with us in the yearly co-ordinated matings by the billions of corals and similar critters, half plant, half animal. Without sex, which means the addition of a stranger's DNA, we would never have humans nor animals on this planet, nor the progressive adaption capability necessary for survival in different climatic conditions. Artists like Whitely do not consciously seek out their themes - they are 'in the groove' when they paint. As far as drug-taking is concerned, I have only ever once eaten a cooky containing some marihuana - and it barely affected me and I did not become an instant addict - oh one other time eons ago, I popped a purple heart, just because my husband 'forbade it' - and that was interesting - time, movement slowed down. I am glad I know what it is like, and can see, how it can become addictive.
Olsen's paintings are pretty much also like someone gifted with the ability to fly over land (as did our Aboriginal artists) and see the world from that perspective. Both artists made their journeys in an aesthetically pleasing way - appealing to the modern, if slightly twisted mind and thus became 'commercial'.
You are actually showing parts of your psyche in the way you criticise things which you don't understand.
Yes, artists/people will use anything to turn a profit - riding on the back of the modern art movement which btw. started in 19th century France, and simultaneously all over Europe as well as America and moved away from direct representation of the world around us. (it took a while to get to Australia). Which is not to say that Heysen and Roberts and Michelangelo, Da Vinci, Dürer, Rembrandt (and here I must quote my beautiful and also 'artistic' daughter, who, when she first set 'foot in the outside world' and visited European art galleries and I quote: said: "I cannot see what is so beautiful in painting the pink flesh of overweight women and men in monumental paintings".
Art is an expression of its time and place and everyone is free to think and judge and maybe purchase what they think is beautiful. Our time, unfortunately, is not a 'well' time with regard to our souls, our psychological well-being - artists express that. Have you seen Picasso's 'Guernica'? it expresses the anguish, sadness and horror of humans and animal in war-time. It''s been descdribed as the most powerful 'anti-war' painting of the 20th century. He painted this after the German bombing of the Basque town. (The Spanish Fascist Dictator, General Franco, called the Germans for help in the Spanish Civil War.)
Yes I would describe an 'artistic event' as you describe as disgusting and an insult to taste and intelligence, yet people used to attend public hangings? for entertainment? only 'some', of course!
https://blog.artsper.com/en/a-closer-look/artwork-analysis-guernica-by-picasso/
