Appreciating Art

I have a great appreciation for art. But, I admit to having very limited knowledge about art. Whatever I learned in school along the way fell into my typical routine of learning the subject matter to pass the test, then immediately forgetting it. In college, I took an Art Appreciation trip to New York City where we immersed ourselves in all that the Big Apple had to offer. I wish I could remember the details of that trip, but alas, those memories have faded.  Maybe I’ll study art again one day, so I won’t be so embarrassingly uninformed. But, even if I don’t know what I’m looking at, I often appreciate art for the sake of creative expression. It often amazes me that a person would be able to come up with the idea of sketching this sketch, or painting this picture, or molding this statue, let alone that he or she had the skills to do it. I’m a wannabe artist.

In recent years, I have had the great privilege of visiting several prestigious world class museums. As I wandered through galleries, I felt a warm glow in my soul, a burst of excitement at unexpected surprises, as well as, confusion and outright dismissal of things that I just didn’t understand. I’m not proud to say that I occasionally stared at a work of art, analyzing it with squinty eyes, and then announced, “I think I could do that.” Yeah, right.  I have recently started dabbling in the world of sketching and painting. It’s not pretty, and I have no idea what I’m doing, but I am having fun.

A few years ago, we had the great opportunity to travel to Paris on my first trip to Europe. There was also an opportunity for a side trip to Italy. There is a very long story about the unfortunate turn of events that stranded us at the airport in Paris and thwarted our side trip to Italy, but I won’t go into that here. We never made it to Italy, but, I had no way of predicting that fiasco, so, months before our trip, I spent time planning our itinerary. Our Italian destination was Florence. As I researched, I was excited to learn that Florence, Italy was the birthplace of The Renaissance. The Renaissance! Wait a minute….what was that exactly? Being me, I knew that The Renaissance was significant, but I couldn’t really remember what it was. So, being me, I started to research it. I Googled and scoured the internet for easy-to-read articles and highlights. Being me, one thing led to another, and I went to the library and checked out a stack of books on Art History and The Renaissance.  Being me, I spent 2 days delving into all that I could find that I could read, skim, and quickly summarize, taking notes along the way. Being me, I then took all of my new knowledge and put together a 10 minute Powerpoint slideshow on the history of Art. It was a very rudimentary, probably ill-informed, attempt to follow the evolution of art from ancient Greek and Roman styles through the Medieval Arts, the Renaissance, the Impressionists, and so on. Being me, I then gathered my family to watch my presentation. I can't say if they were impressed.

You see, I wanted to give my family members some point of reference so they could appreciate some of the things they would be seeing in the museums in France and Italy that we hoped to visit. I wanted them to understand, or at least remember hearing that the artists in this movement were rebelling against that establishment and you can see it in this style of work.  Then these artists in the next movement were turning against that style by creating art in this way. And on and on and on.  I don’t pretend to know much about any of it, but I grab the highlights that I can remember and try to incorporate it into my appreciation of the works of art that I see.

Which brings me to Musee d’Orsay in Paris. When we visited , I was almost out of control with my newfound knowledge and important tidbits of information. I literally quick-stepped (I wasn’t running, I promise) through the galleries as I went from one painting to the next, waving my family over and telling them why they should appreciate this artist’s style. I don’t think I put my heels down on the floor the whole time I was there. I was beside myself with excitement exploring the Impressionists and Post Impressionists works of art. Other people might have been embarrassed to act that way, but, being me, I wasn’t.

A few years later, I controlled myself better at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (The Met) in NYC. It was so big, I had to pace my energy. But, the Egyptian Room….OMG. At the Modern Museum of Art (MoMA) in NYC, it was all I could do to keep myself from pushing all those pesky museum-goers out of the way so I could appreciate Monet’s gardens and Van Gogh’s skies. But, just a gentle push, because I do want others to appreciate the art as much as I do.  Other totally cool experiences were an immersive Picasso exhibit in a limestone quarry in Provence, and an immersive Van Gogh exhibit in a historic railroad building in Atlanta, which projected paintings floor to ceiling with animated action and musical soundtrack. Those were 3D multi-sensory gems, and I highly recommend the 3D immersive experience.

If you aren’t moved by Art, then you might not be able to relate to this article. I am moved by art because * I react strongly to visual senses, especially things I see in nature, and * I react strongly to people’s feelings, often sympathizing with others. In Art, I see the artist expressing his or her feelings and exposing them for the world to appreciate or judge. I see the conventional or unconventional use of colors, materials, and techniques.  I wonder How did they think of that? I am often amazed to learn of the tortured soul within the artist, the defiant expression of the artist, or the driving need to go where no one has gone before. I have to admire their courage.

I have just been reading about the life of Vincent Van Gogh, an artist who was completely unappreciated in his lifetime. In fact, during his short, tragic life, he produced over 900 paintings and sketches. Although he was active in the European art community, and many of his comrades had successful careers, his works, while on display, were largely ignored. In fact, he sold a grand total of 1 painting in his entire lifetime. In a letter to his brother Theo in 1889, deep in despair and suffering from mental illness, Vincent wrote, “As a painter I shall never amount to anything important now, I am absolutely sure of it.”   A few months later he produced the masterpiece Starry Night, along with countless other gems. He died tragically the next year, unrecognized as the genius that he was. Fascinating story, if you are into that kind of reading.

I’m half inclined to end this article by making a new PowerPoint slide show to give you a sense of the appreciation that I have for Art. But, instead, I’ll just end with this list:

A Few Things I Have Learned From Art

• Even a little bit of knowledge can help you appreciate things more.
• Your enthusiasm can affect others positively.
• Do what you feel called to do, even if others don’t validate you.
• Creativity comes in many forms.
• In life, stand close to look at details. Step back to see the overall perspective.
• Beauty is everywhere.
• Different can be beautiful.

How about you? Who are your favorite artists? Have you ever dabbled in art?

C'mon people, unlock the artist within! Express yourself! I promise I will Appreciate your Art!

Life is Short, but Art lives forever. -Marcus Tullius Cicero