At our last show, we were next to a booth where some beautiful photos were being displayed. Many people walked back and forth between our booths, and you could tell very quickly who was interested in what kind of art (always fun to see a couple where one person likes the paintings and the other likes the photographs). I began to think about conversations around such pieces. When one sees a photograph of a sunset for the umpteenth time, do you still think about it being something other than a sunset? Can you have new conversations about abstract art when seeing it for the umpteenth time? Every time I look at Kandinsky’s Compositions V, VI, and VII, I have new feelings and thoughts. When I see one of my wife’s photographs of a frog, I keep thinking, “that’s a nice picture of a frog,” but that’s about it. This is not to take away from her work or other pieces of “realism,” but to ask if you have interesting conversations about that kind of art compared to the abstract stuff…of course, this is assuming you enjoy both kinds of art!
Archive for June, 2007
Discussing Art
June 26, 2007Art in the World — Up or down?
June 6, 2007
Well, I just finished my first gallery show…a few bites but no landings. Listening to people talk about the art (my work was being shown at the same time as some Master of Fine Arts students, so lots of different perspectives on display) made me wonder how do we get people to start seeing art as a potential tool to help the economy and deal with many of the social ills we face? The politics of aesthetics and systems of rationalization are interesting…I do think there is potential (the glass is always have full!), but we need to be talking to those who are enjoying the art!
Keep smiling!
Toby
