By art here I mean the stuff you find in an art gallery. Something Mirva pointed out is that the word 'art' also technically applies to TV programs, music, epic poetry, cabinet making and so on, but I find it interesting that we native English speakers definitely understand that when I say 'I like art' I am basically talking about pictures. We use 'artist' at least as much as 'painter', even though Russel T Davies is very much one of these, but (as far as I know) not the other.
Anyway. I guess I have always liked art, but for most of my life I was definitely way more interested in making it than looking at it. As with most things required of a child by their school, I saw looking at art as a chore, and as a result of the hilariously superficial bullshit we were able to pass off as analysis of said art, I also saw it as faintly ridiculous. My personal creation sadly peaked at the age of 16 with my art GCSE, although I am not arrogant enough to assume that the mark I received was anything but weakly related to the quality of what I produced, picture wise.
Around this time, I began occasionally going to art galleries not just for school trips,but of my own accord, usually with friends. Be under no illusions, the first time I went to an art gallery like this (probably the Tate Modern?) I am sure it was not out of a pure desire to see art. Rather, going to an art gallery was a cool, grown up and different thing to be doing, from my point of view. If you say you went to a gallery at the weekend, you immediately mark yourself out as a certain kind of interesting, thoughtful, and yes, high class person, or so ran my thinking.
I think this attitude extends to a lot of things people do ostensibly for fun, many people go to places because they 'ought to'. Activities I include in this category include visiting art galleries, watching shakespeare, observing various historical ruins and even perhaps whole cities! Now, I am also certain that many people do not go to see Shakespeare or Athens because they 'ought to' but out of pure love for the thing involved, and that is the somewhat obscured point of this post.
I am extremely glad that I really, really enjoy going to art galleries. I realise that this is not a given, and I could have turned out as one of those 'ought to' people. But I feel the enjoyment I get from paintings is similar to the enjoyment I get from listening to brilliant music. I have one criterion for really good art, and that is: Does it look cool? Cool is not really a defined quantity, but what I am saying is that the visual impact of a piece is the thing. What about deeper meanings? Those can make a piece of art better, but if it doesn't look impressive then I am not interested. Note my choice of word though, impressive does not have to mean beautiful.
A few random points about my gallery enjoyment: galleries are about 500 times better if you have a friend with you. Pictures are made to be talked about, I would find it hard to be excited as much about something I couldn't excitedly gesture at and say loudly 'look at that! Wow!'. The second point is more a corollary of the 'does it look cool?' criterion. If a picture or sculpture does not look cool, I do not waste much extra time looking at it once this decision has been made. I do not believe that I 'ought to' be looking at everything in the place, if it is a boring chore, I stop staring at it!
Here in Vienna, there is a vast amount of art which just looks really really cool. Luckily for me it is also a real centre for works by some of the artistic movements I like best, namely the Impressionists and the (mostly) German Expressionists of the 20th century. There isn't a final point to this post other than the fact that I find visiting art galleries fun to an extent that I never expected would be the case only a few years ago, and I am glad that this is so! I leave you with a couple of pictures that 'looked cool' to me on the evening visit to the Albertina that inspired this post. First is 'Studie für Landschaft' by all round legend, Wassily Kandinsky, second is Mr Lyonel Feininger's 'The High Shore'.
Art, you guys!
Bis bald, der Tom.
I like The High Shore a lot. I don't normally go for cubism, but applied to landscapes it seems right somehow.
ReplyDeleteJealous, German Expressionists are the best! Not impressed with your comments regarding Art GCSE though- I believe all that bullshitting for it was an artform in itself.
ReplyDeleteOn a tenuously related note, have you managed to watch last week's Dr Who despite being in a foreign land??