Do you really enjoy museums? I’m standing in the Hermitage, looking at a beautifully executed portrait. The man in the portrait is looking back at me. He doesn’t know me, and I don’t know him. Why should I care? What could possibly interest me in this portrait? The answer is: this work holds no interest for us. Someone, seeking to satisfy their vanity, commissioned the portrait, and the artist did the work.
Yes, the artist’s skill is undeniable, but modern cameras can do better. It was probably truly impressive back then, but today’s people aren’t impressed.
How can one learn to understand (fine) art? It’s difficult for the uninitiated to understand what to admire in a painting. You need to imagine when, why, and why the artist painted it.
Perhaps the easiest way is with the Impressionists. A famous painting by Monet can evoke similar emotions to those that inspired the artist, but only if you’ve ever seen a similar landscape. But what if you haven’t gazed at the sea at dawn, or if you’re not a very impressionable person, or if your mind is too preoccupied with everyday worries?
Another example is a portrait by Picasso. The painting will only confuse the viewer, but we need to pretend to be impressed by the work of the great artist.
But one TV show reported that Picasso’s girlfriend was quite attractive, but with an independent, rebellious, willful, and unpredictable character. Perhaps Picasso was able to convey some of his girlfriend’s traits, fragmented by her personality, in a single picture.
Look at the painting “Cain.” An ordinary, modern young man. Just like us. But if you superimpose what he did on this, it might evoke deep emotions in some: he’s just like me, and I’m just like him.
Most paintings are simply commissioned, paid for, and carry no additional meaning. And the artist’s skill has long been surpassed by technology.
Some paintings were relevant in their place and time. The artist could act as paparazzi. He depicted that life. Respectable people of that time, seeing the painting at an exhibition, might (generally) recognize themselves, and even his wife. There could be a scandal. But does the painting have artistic value?
Malevich’s Black Square. What is it about? What can we find in this primitive image? Nothing. It gives us nothing. It draws out what’s within us, if it’s there.
There are paintings about the eternal that will forever arouse genuine interest.
For example, Rembrandt’s Danae and The Birth of Venus.
It’s very easy to understand what the artists wanted to depict. There’s no need to look for hidden meanings or biblical themes. The artist simply wanted to depict a nude woman, and this theme will always excite people.
In short, to understand fine art, you need:
Sometimes to know history, humanity, or a specific person.
Sometimes to be able to see nature.
Sometimes just to look. And sometimes we have to admit to ourselves that we don’t see anything interesting in it.