Painting? A State of Utter Idiocy

After studying a few of the movements in modern art, it seem that although they are very different in certain respects, they all seem to be trying to accomplish one main goal: to deconstruct the institution of art and painting and to challenge the principles that it upholds. Cezanne and his destruction of line and form, Picasso and the Cubist's attempt to radically change representation and dimension, Duchamp (enough said), and now the attack on elitism in painting with the Pop art. When are we going to stop deconstructing and attacking painting, or are we? Reijdner's comments "The battle against painting was fought by all the artistic movements that thrust themselves forward as an avant-garde at the beginning of the twentieth century" (334) With the emergence of technology and mass media, does "painting have to be destroyed" has painting become "impossible"? Have the modern movements all been in the direction away from painting? It has always seemed to me that the technique of painting has been an integral part of art; the first thing you learn in an art class is painting. So why are we trying so hard to destroy it?