It is very easy to appreciate art that I like. I admire its tiniest aspects and could spend literally ages with it. But what about art that is hard for me to perceive? Or works that I have a very hard time with admitting them to the realm of art? Sometimes, appreciating art is a far more arduous task than on may initially think. It is easy to dismiss art, which you do not like. It is quite a challenge to find redeeming qualities in art works that you do not like from the start or, even more challenging, find a meaning in them.
Before the start of this course the last artist of immense worth for me was Salvador Dali. I considered him the swan song of modern art, which has doubtless worth for me. Having visited once Tate Modern, I was quite underwhelmed and was immensely bewildered that so much junk was considered worthy of inclusion into an exhibition. Three artists have changed my perception: for better or for worse – time will tell.
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"Modern Art Appreciation".
I was simply enthralled with the photography of Robert Adams. Having started photography in 1964 (Flattau 1980), he had acquired very solid experience before making “On Signal Hill, Overlooking Long Beach” in 1983. At first the photograph seems quite insignificant. But if one is to look closer, you could see the whole metaphor for the frail nature, which is constantly thwarted by the development of human civilization. The grey colors serve as the ominous prophecy of what might become if humanity will follow the course of nowadays.
Another artist that has changed my perception of modern art is Mel Chin, who once said about his vision: “Making objects and marks is also about making possibilities, making choices – and that is one of the last freedoms we have. To provide that is one of the functions of art” (Rifkin 1989). I was particularly impressed by his paintings such as “Not from the Neighbourhood” – a gloomy ominous depiction of alien life arriving on the planet. There is also a touch of apocalyptic intentions with the comet heading towards the surface of our planet and yet still around Saturn, which is far away.
Another modern artist that I have come around to appreciate is Paul McCarthy, whose main interest is in everyday activities and the mess that surrounds them (Klein 2001). Among influences on his works was the famed Lost Art Movement (represented by Joseph Beuys, Sigmund Freud, and Samuel Beckett” as well as Viennese Actionism (Berg 2010). I was suddenly touched by his “Sweet Brown Snail” – a rather big sculpture in open air situated at the Bavariapark in Munich. I was touched by the unusually kind depiction and emotion on its face. Snails are almost never depicted as smiling creatures full of cheer, so there is originality as well, not to mention positive emotions emitted by it.
Honourable mention should also go to Karl Andre and Doris Salcedo mentioned by one of my fellow classmates. I was mightily impressed with Andre’s chess inspired designs. There is so much harmony and order in them. As for Salcedo, I have grown to appreciate her “Untitled” work from 1998 – two wardrobes morphed together. Strangely enough, one can never know which the right angle for looking at it is as both “faces” of wardrobes look at different directions. One never knows where the front and the back are. Such ambiguity resonates within me somehow.
I am very thankful to have had a chance to realize that there is much to appreciate in modern art and to have experienced that any art work may unexpectedly speak to me in the most incredible and rewarding way. I still have faith in the future of art and its development.
