Every now and then, the Internet gives birth to new and important terms, generally preceded by everyone's favorite Twitter-auto-contexualizer, the hashtag. One such term has piqued our interest since its inception in early March, so in the spirit of sharing the knowledge, we give you Know Your Hashtag: #ART140. It's the best and worst kept secret in the art world: the market is back and better than ever. After its brief, inexorable failure due to 2008's economic collapse, art is experiencing something of a second Renaissance wherein museums and galleries are every bit as strong as the brands they collaborate with. The results are nothing short of unprecedented: levels of new knowledge and artistry are at an all-time high, with more people getting to experience art than ever before.#ART140, one such collaboration, is asking Twitter users to channel their inner art critics to discuss famous artworks (in 140 characters or less). Part social experiment, part artwork-in-itself, the new partnership between MoMA and creative agency POSSIBLE has the art of the "Tweet-ique" trending worldwide:From Art140:It's clear how technology has changed the way we communicate with each other, but it's also changed how we consume and share information on a larger scale. We view entertainment, take photos, and even get our news as part of a collective community. Inspired by this idea, POSSIBLE and MoMA set out to democratize the conversation around art and meaning, and invite everyone to have their say. By opening up the channels of communication, we'll not only understand more about art, but learn about ourselves and the world around us. Join us at ART140 and let's hear what art means to you.Twitterers have already taken the interwebs in droves to dish out their thoughts on pieces like Van Gogh's Starry Night, Klimt's Hope, II, and Rosseau's The Sleeping Gypsy. Below, check out some of our favorite tweets from #ART140:Reminds of the final sequence of 2001 A Space Odyssey http://t.co/75MAgcuqlX #ART140 #BOCCIONI #futurism #italyThere may be a lot of unexpected beauty right in front of our eyes, we just have to take a closer look. #ART140 #VANGOGH@MuseumModernArt http://t.co/c6WcTdEg7x #ART140 #POPOVA Complicated multilevel cocktail table standing on a pink carpet (seen from above).
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— plamondon (@aplamondon314) March 17, 2014
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— Cat Pierce (@TheCatGatsby) March 30, 2014
Of course, while not every artwork can be contained in under 140 characters, it's a social experiment that has the added benefit of introducing many to the longstanding, eternally human practice of thinking about art. Love it? Hate it? Tell us what you think of #ART140 in the comments below.Related:Science Reveals Artists Really Do Have Different BrainsRömer + Römer’s Impressionistic Pixel Art Will Make Your Reality SpinArtist Ivana Basic Built A Perfect 3D Avatar Of Herself— Mitchell Owens (@ADaesthete) March 22, 2014