One: Looking at art in a new way.

Have you ever stood in front of a painting, wincing while the guy next to you grunts and mutters, "Ugh, I could do that."  Or worse, before the thick colour blocks of a Rothko or the rapid, splats of a Pollock, "My kid could do that."

We were not all taught to have an appreciation for art.  How many times has an art program taken the first cut when budgets are on the menu?  Luckily, thanks to the Internet, anyone can still learn to have a casual understanding of art.




This entry is based on the excellently written "How to Read a Painting" by Dustin Wax, from
http://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifestyle/how-to-read-a-painting.html

Art is not only hobby or decoration, it is a connector to a deeper awareness of our history, our lives, and our selves.

Art, whether it is a painting, architecture, sculpture, film, or photograph, appeals to us through our senses and with willingness and patience to check in to our own reactions, we can better appreciate what the artist was communicating through their work.  Try these three questions:

First, how does the piece grab your attention?  Colour? Subject matter? What does the title mean to you?  It doesn't have to be a Frank Lloyd Wright or a Divinci to be good.  Similarly to enjoying wine, it depends on your palette.  What do YOU think is good or awful?  What memories or thoughts come to mind?  As Dustin Wax advises, "Don’t get caught in the trap of trying to figure out “what the artist meant”; focus instead on what the work says to you."  Basically, between you and the art piece, YOU are the most important part of the equation.  Otherwise, painting and sculpture and photographs and anything else creative would be created for a vacuum or a void.

Second, How did the artist make this work?  With their finger tips, by drilling screws, by applying thick oil paint on fine camel hair brushes?  The sheer magnitude of effort involved in pulling off a piece of art may be the ultimate scope of purpose.  Give the artist a few moments to imagine how this person converted  their imagination into the tangible form you are standing in front of, or if you are really lucky, holding and touching in your hands.

I think this part can be one of the most interesting parts of art appreciation, when thirdly, you consider WHEN the art was made.  What was the political climate?  What was going on in the rest of the world during the genesis of this creativity.  Understanding the civic and local temperature will deepen your appreciation of this work and the obstacles the artist likely had to overcome in order to produce and distribute their idea(s).

One of my favourite 'arty' moments was on a a guided tour of the Vancouver Art Gallery with a small independent school group.  The volunteer animateur put several pieces from the Group of Seven in such clear and insightful context that it was a revelation.  So many times, uncomprehending I had dumbly admired the bright, clear landscapes and considered them "very nice" until I saw them in context of the WWII world of their creation.  In the north the blue sky blazed cobalt and the birches gently shed their skin, the wind shushed through the branches in the blazing light as it had done since time immemorial while the artillery drilled on and on and on. 

I have never seen art the same way.