Being a better consumer of art

This question was posed to me a few weeks ago and I admit, at the time, it caught me a little off guard. At first I wanted to get out of the economic mindset of “consumer”. I believe it is necessary first and foremost to come to art of any kind on a humanistic basis, not economic. As I continued to ponder the question I asked my family their thoughts. They went straight into economic mode as the definition of ‘consumer'—how to financially support and purchase work, “pay what you can” models and such.

Even as I objected to this approach initially, as I think about it, I can’t ignore it. When we talk about supporting the arts, in the U. S., we do at least imply creating an environment for an artist to make a sustainable career as an art maker. While we have these high ideals of art and how art is more important than any economic transaction, we still live in a monetary economy. Artists need to eat, clothe themselves and their family, afford shelter, etc.

The Basics

As we consider consuming or appreciating art, remember, as I quoted an author in a previous post, there really is no wrong reason to like an art work. There is nothing wrong with being more drawn to realistic, figurative and representational work. There is nothing wrong with admiring an artists skill in their work.

Similarly there is nothing wrong with being drawn to more abstract and non-representational art. If you can look at a painting by Rothko the same way you look at a flower, well, good on you. Just remember preferring one or the other does not immediately place a negative value on people who do not agree.

That is all basic stuff. I want to talk about being a better consumer, as in the metaphorically dietary sense. Just like I want more artists to be thinking artists, I believe it is as important to be a thinking audience for art. This takes time and thought.

Next Steps

So then, the first step in becoming a better consumer is to take time to think and consider. This stuff does not have to come quickly or easily. It does for some people. I am not one of them. I have to contemplate a work for a long time, sort out what I am feeling or thinking and why. I still can’t tell you why I like Jackson Pollock’s work, only that I do. And that’s okay, too. The best meals (or coffees) are savored, not merely consumed. So it is with art.

Let’s look at work one might be drawn to. Consider why you might like a work. Examine the work. Look it over. Examine the details, examine the whole. Is there something familiar in it? Does it remind you of something, someone, someplace? Does it make you laugh? Why does it make you laugh?

Sometimes the discovery is simple, not always deeply profound. For instance, Paul Klee’s use of colour and visual texture in his work Dream City I simply find joyous. The work lifts my spirits every time I look at it. This piece has also evoked my love for the city—the vitality of city life, the liveliness of night life (I always imagine the crescent shape in the upper half to be moon-like.) But it has taken me years to learn how to articulate this, to examine myself and what I feel.

Then, the more I studied Klee’s work I discovered his use of repetition of elements in his painting, the same way a musician uses rhythm. Klee has a very musical approach to his work. As a musician, I like to think I was intuitively drawn to this. Maybe, maybe not. But yet something else to contemplate.

In this way, this is why many people think of art more as a mirror than a depiction. I think this is true of art from any age or era. The best art functions to show us ourselves more than a depiction of anything in particular.

I am not much of a Rembrandt fan, but Nightwatch makes me want to put myself in the painting, to imagine the conversations and how I might respond if I were there and the painting makes me want to be there.

Not liking a work

Next let’s talk about being better at not liking a work. When I find work that I don’t like or otherwise draws a negative reaction or response, my first question to myself is why do I not like it? Does it remind me of an unpleasant memory? Do I feel like the work is condescending? Does it dictate to me its meaning versus allowing me to discover the work and meaning? Or am I trying to impose my own meaning or expectations on the work? Do I want it to be something other than what it is? Why would I want that?

A great example is abstract art. Many people don’t get it. They look at it and try to figure out what it is saying, as if they need the work to explain itself as easily as many realistic works do. If I am looking at a woman, could it at least make that much plain? But why does one need that clarity of intent? We can learn as much about ourselves from art we don’t like as much as from work we do like. That’s why I usually spend as much time with work that I don’t like or doesn’t move me as I do with art that inspires me. The important thing is to not blow off art regardless of how you respond. Learn something about yourself.

There is always controversy

One thing to remember about any contemporary work is we haven’t had the benefit of time to assess it’s true or fullest contribution to society or culture. We may find something controversial or objectionable now. But such was the case for many art moments we take for granted.

—Impressionism, for all the accolades it now enjoys, was quite controversial when Manet first showed his new ideas. There is even a story of a gentleman who wanted to smash the works with his cane.

—The Birth o Venus was a huge shift. It was a return to depictions of female divinity that were not Mary.

—In his time Bach was not as highly regarded as he is today. He was considered third choice as Thomaskantor in Leipzig and got the job because the first two turned it down. Bach’s work went largely forgotten until Mendelssohn revitalized interest. Hard to consider any of that today.

—Paolo Veronese was called up before the Inquisitors because of his painting of the Last Supper. They didn’t like the inclusion of Germans, they didn’t like the inclusion of a dog, the exclusion of Mary Magdalene, and so on.

Point being, contemporary art is always controversial. No reason to expect any less today. Don’t let that be a reason to keep from exploring and discovering art and what and how you think about it. Examine all things. then hold onto the good. Find beauty where no one else does or even thinks is.

Thanks for reading! Shoot me a note,

blogATnatureofthebeatDOTorg

Joe