something or someone that is arty-farty tries too hard to seem connected with serious art, and is silly or boring because of this Rob's friends were a couple of arty-farty types who talked endlessly about the decline of the modern American novel.
artsy (fartsy)
mod. obviously or overly artistic; effete. (Mildly offensive.) The decorations were sort of artsy fartsy, but the overall effect was quite nice.