@bright.ton42 wrote:
Martini Yes I did read your post up there and agree that the differences in opinion is staggering particularly when one is moved to tears as you say and all you see is a blob and I've experienced the same. But what I still don't understand is why are these people's opinions more legitimate than those who have not given the paintings much thought,or simply are unable to , express themselves. well. And what about your heading .......why talk about it if you don't get it. My question is ...... why not?
In your own words you said some are moved to tears by a painting yet you see a blob ...........well obviously so do these people. They see say, a Brett Whiteley painting as.... yes ..... a blob. But they are unable to articulate why, nor should they have to. And I think it is a great pity that you say nothing and have no doubt your attitude would be clear as to what you're thinking about them and those more enlightened where there might be a snicker or two, . so they might go away with a bad art experience feeling very very stupid. It's rather sad to me.
I'd like to respond but wouldn't want to come across as pretentious lol...
Look, I love listening to peoples opinions on art. That's why I do what I do. I actually don't know all that much about art. So for me every piece on display means I have to understand what it is in order to talk about it. I love learning about each piece whether I like it or not. And visitors always give me new points of view that I had never thought about or academic information that I haven't read.
I also paint. Realistic pictures. But I admire anyone who can paint abstractly. It takes a certain kind of talent to do this. I have done numerous abstract art classes (my favourite with an artist I love called Peter Sharp - google him to see some wonderful abstract art) but I can;t do it. Its really, REALLY hard.
But art is not always just about what is in front of you. Particularly if it is abstract art. Or to put it another way, if it looks like a duck, it may not be a duck to use Pods expression.
I'll go back to the example of Duchamps wheel on a stool. People have joked about the ridiculousness of it for decades saying much the same as they have said on this thread. And yes, my husband could knock that up in the garage in an hour. And, no-one is going to buy that because they think it is a beautiful work of art that they can ut in their hallway for people to admire.
But whilst my husband could knock that up in the garage, he is not making any statement by doing this.
The differece is that Duchamp WAS making a statement. Duchamp was actually an amazing Cubist artist but he made these pieces to question/explain a whole lot of philosophical theories about art and artists. He never meant them as pieces of art to hang on a wall. They were always intended as pieces to get a reaction and the question "What is Art?".
And the irony is that people make fun of this work with the statement - "How can that be art - anyone could make it!". Well yes, that is the point he was making too...
I imagine most people, when faced with an explanation, would go "OK. It looks ugly and you couldn't pay me enough to take it home but I understand what he was trying to do...". They might even say "He was right". They might even question "What is art..."
Only someone completely closed off from learning would say instead "You call that art?? I could knock that up in my garage in an hour ha-ha..."
So again back to my point - if I was showing visitors the Duchamp piece and I explain the piece (as it does need a lot of explaining) and yet someone like my husband says at the end "I could knock that off in my garage in an hour" (and on Saturday morning 4 people would have said that to me, then perhaps you can understand my frustration...
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