03 Apr Modern art for dummies: learn to value it in 3 simple steps
Does it frustrate you not to know why that stain that is exposed in the museum is so important for the rest of humanity? Avoid being ridiculous with these quick tips for dummies, which will help you understand modern art a little better.
Who has not happened? Go to the museum and find a lot of things on display that doesn’t seem to make any sense. Paint stains everywhere, as if the author had been possessed by a spirit in the middle of the work session; an iron surrounded by cat food, even a lot of dust, without more, which turned out to be the last work of a Latin American artist that generated a lot of commotion (of course).
What to do to differentiate something that is really good from something that is not? How to learn to understand what a contemporary work of art is trying to convey to us? How to make sure that they are not teasing us.
Here are some tips that will allow you to guide yourself.
1. Eliminate prejudices
In general, what we have been taught about art in schools is something that, from the twentieth century, goes into total disuse. The result is that we come with a preconceived idea of what art is and, faced with an artistic expression that does not correspond to that idea, we tend to fall into chaos, despair and, obviously, we adopt a negative position that generally leads us to say something like “I do this with my eyes closed.”
It is essential that we eliminate all prejudices in the face of the works that we are going to see. If you enter the museum with the idea that you are going to find things that claim to be art but are a heap of junk for you, that is what you will see.
The best we can do is ignore all prejudices and let the works show what they have to say, which is not exactly what Leonardo Da Vinci or Rafael said. This is due to the fact that, by breaking the classic molds of art, the twentieth century ventured into other facets that are not necessarily aesthetic.
That is why many of the modern works of art can be made with materials that are not exactly paint and canvas, or clay or clay. This also explains why some works touch on themes or aspects further away from art, such as the political, the religious, or the philosophical, among other topics.
2. Find the meaning of your speech
When you approach a contemporary work of art, try to understand what it means by those resources that it shows you. Ask yourself why this is so, what does he mean by that original language and why is it important to the artist. What is the message it conveys?
At this point, everything you can know about the artist will be of great help, as well as the information about the work, which the museum usually gives you: name, type of materials, etc. This contextualization work will be of great help to you to get a more consistent idea and to be able to comment on the work in a sustained way.
3. Research and catch up on modern art
All artistic manifestations require a series of previous knowledge to know in-depth its meaning and essence. In the case of traditional art, much of it is known to us thanks to what has been instilled in us since we were little, which makes it something natural and much more understandable for us. But, in reality, it was not the result of something natural, there was a long learning process over time.
In order to understand modern or contemporary art, we must do the same: investigate, read specialized books and art criticism, learn about modern styles, and read about contemporary authors.
If you follow these tips, you will have an experience that, while it may not move your heart, it sure will with your brain.
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