Tips on How to Appreciate Abstract Art
 |
ORANGE, RED, YELLOW, 1961 BY MARK ROTHKO |
Abstract paintings are not easy to evaluate. It's okay
when they follow a general theme, like Cubism, or when they include
recognizable features, but purely concrete art - which uses only geometric
symbols - tends to be too cerebral for comfort! That said, many abstract
painters have made a huge contribution to contemporary culture, and we need to
try to understand them. So here are a few tips.
Wholly abstract painting frees us, the viewers, from any
optical associations with real life. (This is why many artists work in the
abstract idiom). So we are not distracted by anything outside the painting and
we can concentrate exclusively on the painterly aspects of the work: that is,
the line, shape, colour, texture, brushwork etc.
In particular, ask yourself: (1) How does the artist
divide up the canvas? (2) How does the artist direct our eye, and where does it
linger? (3) How does the artist use colour to create depth, attract attention,
or endow certain shapes with particular significance or meaning? (4) What
specific forms does the work contain, and what do you think they mean? (5)
Sometimes abstract artists use colour very sparingly, and deliberately create a
minimalist look. If you find yourself unable to say much about such works,
don't worry: everyone has difficulty with them! The best thing to do is to
research one particular work, and find out what a top "art expert"
thinks about it. You may still not like it, but at least you will know what to
look for. (6) In general, abstract paintings are much more cerebral than other
works. They need to be deciphered! So instead of throwing up your hands and
saying - "I don't understand this awful painting!", treat it like a
puzzle and see if you can work out what the artist is aiming at.
How to Evaluate Art: A Few Final Questions
After investigating the context of the painting, and the work itself,
we come to a few final questions.
• What is the Painting Trying
to Say?
This general question involves
everything you have discovered or decided about the work.
• How Does the Painting Make you Feel?
This focuses exclusively on your
subjective reaction to the work.
• Is the Impact of the Painting Mostly Visual, or Mostly Cerebral?
This obliges you to analyze your
reaction.
• Would You Like to See it Hanging on a Wall in your house?Why or why not?
This allows you to consider the
work from a different angle.
• Would you Like to See More Examples of Similar Types of Paintings?
You might not be wild about this
work, but you might like the style.
Vocabulary
1.
Cerebral- мыслительный, умственный,
интеллектуальный
2.
Evaluate- syn. appreciate
3. Canvas -
полотно, холст; картина
4.
Linger- задерживаться, подробно останавливаться (на
чём-л.)
5.
Endow- наделять, одарять (чем-л.)
6.
Sparingly- скупо
7.
Decipher- разгадывать, распутывать, понимать
