Because it makes it into an in-joke for those of us who know what the text says

What's funny about this is their determination to violate the artists' intent for the sake of forced obfuscation, which results in the ostensible heightening of obscure knowledge for the benefit of those already possessing it.

I see nothing of value being created here. So, we're at a level slightly above Reddit right now. We did it, Lemmy!

I actually love the Dadaist movement, although this piece is not really my favorite. Truth be told, I don’t love the art of the Dadaist movement, so much as I love what it represented.

This piece is named “The treachery of images” but most people refer to it by ‘This is not a pipe’ because, well, that’s what’s written on it.
It’s basically an art shitpost. Of course it’s not a pipe. It’s a painting of a pipe.

But the Dadaist movement is basically all art shitposting. Dada is an utterance that roughly means “yeah, whatever” and came about as a form of protest art against the bourgeoisie, and their overly rigid definition of art after WW1. In that time it was common for the rich of various nations to embrace specific forms of art as an expression of nationalism.

Dadaists were like “fuck that, art is whatever the hell the artist says it is.” Because art for just the rich sucks, as does art that’s only in one format, and nationalism, too.

My favorite story is that Marcel Duchamp submitted “Fountain” a urinal that had been turned sideways and signed “R. Mutt” to an art show that ostensibly showed everything submitted to it, but the organizers hid his piece, and it’s rumored that they threw it away after taking a photo of it.
The treatment of the submission and mystery surrounding it brought about tremendous attention, furthering the Dadaist movement.

I never really understood why his stuff was considered art

Someone will be saying this looking at internet memes in a museum in 50 years, while everyone else will be acclaiming a portray of loss.