What is Art Appreciation? Understanding Art and Artists
Art appreciation is the attempt to understand, enjoy, and value the uniqueness of artistic expression encompassing both artworks themselves and the artists who create them. The process involves developing an intellectual and perceptive response to visual arts and performing arts, including paintings, sculptures, photographs, as well as music, literature, and theatre art. More than anything, art appreciation involves the ability to open your eyes towards the world of art, which is literally everywhere. Appreciating art is primarily connected to our liking or not liking the object of appreciation. The process involves whether we take pleasure from something or not.
Art appreciation isn’t solely for the elite and doesn’t require a fine arts or art history degree. It’s for anyone ready to open their mind and hearts to the limitless possibilities of art. Art appreciation also involves gaining knowledge of various techniques, styles, and art history, as well as the ability to understand movements from ancient cultures to contemporary art. The process centres around cultures, people, and how art grew in specific periods.
Let’s explore the myriad shades of art, the delicate play of colours, and the grand tapestry of art history that shaped our understanding of the art world.
1. Connecting Emotionally with Art:
Art is a powerful medium that helps us to engage with our innermost emotions and hidden realms of the mind, all the while transporting us to a whole new world. Along with this, art shakes our ultimate beliefs and perception of reality. In order to understand art, one has to mainly engage with it emotionally. More than anything, the feeling when you see a work of art is what matters. To do that, you must clear your mind from rigid notions and focus on the artwork. Does the work bring a sense of calm or spark something strange inside you? Unravelling the myriad layers of meaning of an artwork involves understanding your emotional response. Eventually, you will be able to recognise the styles, subjects, and artists that engage with you the most.
2. Art Appreciation: The Use of Colour in Artworks:
Colours possess a magical ability to transform a regular sketch into a magnificent masterpiece. Artists strategically employ specific colours to convey different concepts and thoughts. Recognising the use of colour, light, texture, and other visual elements is essential for understanding a work of art. The colours in an artwork often set the mood and guide the viewer’s gaze over the canvas. The use of colours to express various emotions can be seen in Van Gogh’s ‘Starry Night’. He uses whirling blues and yellows to depict a sense of wonder and commotion. Colour field paintings use large blocks of colours to create an immersive experience for the viewer. Discovering the various aspects of colours is elemental and can be beneficial for comprehending art.
3. Revealing the Hidden Meanings and Symbolism:
Artwork often contains a rich tapestry of symbols and metaphors, each adding meaning to the story. Analysing the symbols in artworks helps with the process ofart appreciation. Symbolism was an art movement that originated in France and Europe during the late nineteenth century. Inspired by melancholy, imagination, dreams, and death, symbolist works were a reaction to a period of unrest and industrialisation.
Artists employ personal metaphors and symbols to evoke meaning in the artwork. For instance, boats are a recurring symbol in PareshMaity's paintings, not just as symbols of movement and the eternal journey but also as a reflection of his childhood memories. To him, they are hypnotic in nature, eliciting a sense of nostalgia. By carefully studying these personal metaphors and symbols, one can extract the true essence of the artwork.
4. The Significance of Art Movements in Appreciating Art:
Art does not exist in a vacuum; it is moulded by the historical, social, and political environment in which it was created. By placing artworks within their contexts, the spectators gain knowledge of the inspirations that direct the artist. Understanding the context of the artwork helps with art appreciation in innumerable ways. Art movements involve various features like style, subject matter, technique, and cultural atmosphere. Oftentimes, they emerge as a response to the socio-political scenarios of the world. These movements can also bring together diverse artists of unique aesthetics in the same place, like the PAG group. Veteran artists includingM.F Hussain, F.N Souza, S.H Raza, Ram Kumar, etc., formed the progressive art group to depict an Indian form of modernism that also acknowledged the art movements in Europe and America. Learning about these historical movements can be useful for gaining insights into artworks. Movements such as romanticism, realism, impressionism, fauvism, expressionism, cubism, surrealism, and abstract art have influenced artists around the world to create magnificent artworks.
Visiting museums, art galleries, art exhibitions, and art fairs like the India Art Fair is an excellent way to engage with the art world. Therefore, if you want to dive into the limitless cosmos of art, go to that gallery and stare into that particular piece of art that you find amusing!
Visit Art Alive Gallery to begin your journey through the enchanting artworld!
Also Read:ART AS AN ALTERNATIVE INVESTMENT: IS IT THE RIGHT CHOICE?
