Art Appreciation 101

[jollymolly.pp]

Nice people a consensis

 

[Mixmaster]

Art is uniquely human and tied directly to culture. It takes the ordinary andmakes it extraordinary. It asks questions about who we are, what we value,the meaning of beauty and the human condition. As an expressive medium itallows us to experience sublime joy, deep sorrow, confusion and clarity. It tests our strengths, vulnerabilities and resolve. It gives voice to ideas and feelings,connects us to the past, reflects the present and anticipates the future. Alongthese lines, art history, combined with anthropology and literature, are three main sources in observing, recording and interpreting our human past. Visual art is a rich and complex subject whose definition is in flux as the culture around it changes. Because of this, how we define art is in essence a question of agreement. In this respect, we can look again to the dictionary’s definition for an understanding of exactly what to look for when we proclaim something as ‘art’........

Probably very old stuff for you artistic folks. However, I'm not a "learned" man. I found this free art appreciation course and have already started tonight. Is this a course that I will get something out of? Do any of you have other free resources to share? I have zero exposure to "the arts" as they're called. Hoping to increase my sense of "seeing light" and "appreciating" photography-related resources to inch me along, maybe. Thanks!

ART 100 – Art Appreciation

I'm taking an art appreciation class at the University I work for right now. I originally took the class simply because it was a per-requisite to another art class I wanted to take, but we are half way thru now, and I'm glad I did. One of the first points that my instructor made was that art is really rarely about aesthetics. It should be more than just like/dislike. My "struggle" right now is trying to move beyond taking snapshots and develop something artistic. By taking the class we are learning to think about art critically, deeper than whether we personally like it or not, and I can start to think about the same concepts as I try to develop my own work. Also, seeing how other artists use various elements of art has also given me an insight into why certain shots I take "work" better than others. Analyzing Raft of The Medusa for example with the guidance of a skilled professor shows a lot of subtleties and technique that I had never noticed before, and can hopefully learn to apply to my photographic adventures. (OTOH we spent most of a class talking about Damien Hirst and I still don't get him either)

 

[407370]

(OTOH we spent most of a class talking about Damien Hirst and I still don't get him either)

I understand that I will never understand what other people understand as art.

 

[Derrel]

Yes, you will get something out of the class if you study a bit and do the reading and have an open mind. But I am questioning if you even have an open mind about the entire subject of art. Seems like by asking the question, "Will I get something out of this?", you're indicating that you have real doubts about the validity of learning or studying art.

Art is one of the very few subjects about which people with no training, and no study of art will put forth long, meandering criticisms of how "dumb" art is, or how worthless art is. Plenty of, "Why, my kid could have made this!" utterances. The vast majority of people in America have no real formal or even informal training in the various arts. School kid finger painting and a couple of papier-mâché projects isn't really the study of art. So, it's understandable why you might wonder aloud if studying art has any worth: you've probably been brainwashed to devalue art, as have most Americans. I mean, art is stupid, right? It's dumb, like ballet, and sissy, like opera.

If you were taking a class in American history, would you "get anything out of it?" If you were taking a course in CPR, would you "get anything out of it?" If you were taking a course in gardening, would you "get anything out of it?" I think you need to realize that you sound like you might be at least somewhat pre-biased against art and or education.