The Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena, California has an exhibit this summer called Surface Truths: Abstract Painting in the Sixties. Since I have recently been painting abstract pieces myself I decided to visit the exhibition at the Norton Simon this past weekend. Prior to visiting the exhibition I spent several days thinking about the shifts that art has gone through, particularly since Impressionism shocked the world in the late 19th century, and wondering how did we go from the bold painterly brushstrokes of implied form that we see in Impressionism to the cold and linear approach used by artists such as Frank Stella and Robert Irwin Maybe studying Surface Truths in person will help me understand.
Upon entering the exhibit I immediately felt a cold shoulder and distance from the works of art. There were no crowds of people, no tourists with cameras, no students with notebooks. If anyone cares about these significant works of art, is it only because the critics told us we can move away from the aesthetic of recognized figures and forms?
In Tolstoy's essay on art written in 1896 he states that art must create a specific emotional link between the artist and the audience. Thus only REAL art unites people through visual means and communication of such art. But I wonder, If the artisit is sincere in the creation of his art, will society accept and revere what the artist produces?
So I started searching for my personal, emotional link to this exhibit.
So I started searching for my personal, emotional link to this exhibit.
I tried to see the color as a sensual experience. In fact, up close and personal these works of art did exude what I would imagine would be the personality of the artist. This soothing piece is titled Adriatic, done in 1968 by Helen Frankenthaler. Her use of acrylics thinned with water acted like a wash over the canvas giving it mood, atmosphere and movement.
This painting, by Thomas Downing in 1966, produced a very strong reaction in me. I was craving Dots Cupcakes!
But upon study and reflection I was thrilled to see, not only the pencil lines on the canvas, but the occasional drip of paint which made me feel that maybe I was watching the artist at work. I don't know if these drips of paint were accidents, but it made the painting feel more painterly to me, rather than seeming like a marketing package for cupcakes.
In Tolstoy's essay he also said that "art in our society has been so perverted that not only has bad art come to be considered good, but even the very percepton of what art really is has been lost".
If perception is fleeting, shouldn't we all take time to look at art and figure out what makes it meaningful for each of us in our own personal way? Next time you race through the modern art museum laughing at what you perceive as ridiculous or unimaginative, stop and see if anything connects with you. Maybe connect with color or form or movement or anything that might touch you. Then, in your own way, you will understand.
If perception is fleeting, shouldn't we all take time to look at art and figure out what makes it meaningful for each of us in our own personal way? Next time you race through the modern art museum laughing at what you perceive as ridiculous or unimaginative, stop and see if anything connects with you. Maybe connect with color or form or movement or anything that might touch you. Then, in your own way, you will understand.
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