Art is not decoration. This is not a frill reserved for those with time and money. After being able to use sticks in the sand, people have been making art. We could draw before we could write, calculate, trade, keep records. Art tells stories that words and numbers cannot. But it is poorly taught in schools (if at all). So most Indians are incomprehensible and skeptical, especially with Indian artists fetching record sums at auctions.
“Works of art are just objects like refrigerators or vacuum cleaners,” says Daniel McDerman, author and former culture editor of The New York Times, in his 2018 essay, How to Fall in Love with Art. “What makes them special is the experience you have with them.” The first steps can be the scariest. Here’s a quick guide to help.
Stop trying to “get it”. An artwork is not an Aesop fable, with a moral at the end. A canvas, sculpture, or installation usually tells several stories, which can change with time, place, and the people who view it.
Go with what’s familiar.Starry Night, The Last Supper, Ravi Verma’s Shakuntala, MF Hussain’s Horses, The Great Wave of Kanagawa – some works are better known than others. You don’t have to like them, but take a closer look at them online. Read about who painted them, when, where and why. This will help explain what attracts viewers years later.
Take a closer look. McDermon’s essays help ease those first nervous moments in a gallery or museum. Here’s what to do: Do a slow 360 turn, taking everyone in. Go for what sticks out – even if it seems unpleasant. Give it a good look. get closer Observe brush strokes, chisel marks, unusual colors, patterns or shapes that repeat. Then step back and get a different view from a distance from a new angle. Give it a moment to do its job. “Be mindful of your reactions,” he says. “When you’ve done all you can, free yourself to read the label.”
Learn more. Some works are best understood with little context. Isaac Kordal’s Berlin work—suited, balding, white men arguing while drowning—makes good sense with its popular title: Politicians Discussing Global Warming. A new way of looking at the work opens up by depicting other signs, styles, materials, choice of themes, religious or mythological themes, viewpoints, even the politics of events. Read the program’s hand-out or introductory text to better follow the individual work or collection that shines through.
talk As Pulitzer Prize-winning art critic Jerry Saltz said in his 2003 book, Seeing Out Loud, “Talk about art like you talk about everything else.” “Don’t try to talk like some brainy intellectual academic.” Saltz’s own reviews of art shows and works are jargon-free, pointing out details so people can see them differently.
Make connections. The striking blue of Hokusai’s The Great Wave of Kanagawa contrasts with the calm blues of VS Gaitonde’s 1969 Untitled Abstract that sold for records. ₹42 crore last year.It is different from Monet’s Water Lilies and the luminous blues of Picasso’s Blue Nude. Damien Hirst paints spots differently than Yayoi Kusama paints her dots. Look widely to be able to compare details, make your own associations, develop new favorites.
Seek help. Saltz’s three-minute video tutorial on Lifehacker, titled How to Talk About Art Without Sounding Dumb, tackles questions about abstract art and getting started. On YouTube, art assignments feature long but lively explainers about specific artists, movements, and events. (Favorite Episode: The Truth About a Tortured Artist). For sound in your ear while you’re looking at solo work, consider The Lonely Palette podcast (favorite episode: El Anatsui’s Black River (2009)).
Think beyond technology. Often, modern tasks seem simplistic, drawing common derision: “My kids can do it”. But consider why the “easy” task will be attempted, accomplished and celebrated at all. Jackson Pollock’s drip paintings depict movement and creation differently on each canvas. SH Raza’s exquisite geometry, often depicted in his work, finds ways to bring the natural and cosmic world to life in a way that realistic paintings cannot.
Allow for mistakes. Not all art is good. But “bad art can leave a good impression, and some of the most lasting connections can come from works of art that initially made you uncomfortable, angry or confused,” says McDerman. Don’t be afraid to change your mind about the work, artist and technique over time.
Make it personal. Art only works because there is an audience. Cave paintings were created for early humans to communicate. Maurizio Cattelan’s 2019 work, Comedian, a banana stuck to the wall with duct tape, was created precisely to question the world. Frida Kahlo painted herself frequently because she was confined to bed for most of her life. The pain and passion of his work resonates with audiences around the world. Art historian Ernst Gombrich called it “part of seeing,” the belief that the viewer completes the work. And if you still can’t understand the art, don’t worry. Even art cannot understand. But still tries.
From HT Brunch, May 06, 2023
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