One thing that blows my mind is that a visual piece of art such as a painting can be so ripe-full of emotion. Logically we look at a painting and understand that a variety of paint strokes and points on the canvas create the work. We can see a certain shadow, tree branch, or a concerned look on a character’s face that we know is intentional and contributes to the quality of the art. However, sometimes we take a step back and are just hit by a chilling wave of the emotion that a painting evokes for some mysterious reason.
I can count only on one hand the amount of bad paintings I’ve seen…No this is of course not true. The amount of poor art that I’ve seen as decorations or in stores waiting to be sold is an overwhelming majority. This is of course this is quite subjective for some people (…Insert list of 10 warrants of subjectivity). For me, poor art is simply art that does not create an emotional reaction. A fine point of my definition might even include a clause about necessitating truthfulness, but that argument is for a late night or future bllloook (haha blog and book combined). ANYWAYS, great art is far and few between and when it strikes you, it really has an effect.
Recently I visited the Claude Monet exhibit at the Albertina in Vienna- here I experienced great art. The eight room exhibit marvelously chronologically “paints” the progression of his artistic life. Through the exhibit, one can see Monet’s style develop from more simpler forms to his more Impressionistic paintings, playing with color and more!
As I was walking through the museum with my language buddy (a University of Vienna Student), I mentioned to her that I can feel the emotions just radiating from the paintings. She turned, nodded, smiled and enough was said. There was something magical about these paintings, with each creating such a different feeling. I am of course no art expert, but I just relied on my gut and emotions to enjoy and soak in these masterpieces. However, there were paintings that did not create an emotional experience and according to my definition, this would be poor art. But if someone used my criterium, they would find a different set of great works- but this never-ending cycle of differing feelings is life I guess!
Overall, there is nothing like walking through this exhibit on a beautiful afternoon. Experiencing the art first hand created feelings of love, childhood, familiarity, expansiveness and so much more. I witnessed great art.
As a musician myself, sometimes we forget the simple objective is to move people as I was moved by Monet’s Masterpieces. Yes, this requires craft, time and patience, but the emotional connection to the audience is what truly matters. Recently in my practice, it is easy to get bogged down by focusing on the minutia, or physical sensations instead of really feeling the larger picture and the way the emotions are attached to the listening and playing. Once someone taps into these sensations, then people might pay fifty dollars to go hear THAT type of concert…
Thoughts with David 