> Hint: it isn't
For what it's worth, I think it is, but it's obviously subjective. The modern kitchen aesthetic looks alien, sterile, and uninviting in contrast to the Laquy painting, which looks lived in and homely. In short, the modern kitchen image makes me feel uneasy and the painting makes me feel calm.
And, now that we're talking about personal experience, I've spent weeks cooking with just canister stove and a 1 liter pot, and yes, I've cooked many meals over a camp fire as well, and I stand by my preference.
Yes, we do live in the present, but there's no inevitability about the present. The fact that during the 20th century we invented a set of new materials and machining techniques does not mean that we have to be using them today - that's a choice we make based on a variety of different factors.
If you look at any magazine/book on contemporary kitchen remodels, you will find some that are closer to the painting than the photograph (and many more that are closer to the photograph). The idea that the aesthetics embodied by the painting are inherently non-modern is, I think, a mistake.
Are you saying that because the article suggested it? Personally I think the spaciousness of the modern kitchen depicted is liberating and freeing. I have a cramped kitchen and it sucks.
Additionally, I think size is related to aesthetic but it's an independent topic. You can have a small but "modern aesthetic" kitchen. I agree, a cramped kitchen sucks!