Ooo, I have to disagree here!
>I must totally disagree with you, Marcel. "Art" must be appreciated on >a
>pre-discussion level, an emotional level, an abstract level, a >sensual
>level---call it what you will. There's gotta be a pleasure, a >thrill a
>recognition, a connection--even if it can not be put into >words.
>"Understanding" as you appear to be using it, cannot substitute for >this
>immediate connection, although it can provide a different kind of >(I
> >would say secondary) pleasure.
>I believe a child, or anyone else, responds when a work fills a need
>('though the perceiver probably would not use the word "need" to >explain
>why he/she is turned on).
>
>I can't think of a less helpful way of introducing a child to art than >one
>which implicitly tells the child that appreciation is >unsatisfactory if
>the child is unaware of the "facts" surrounding the >work.
While we all respond to art on an emotional level, without the background
info, as Marcel was pointing out, there can be no real understanding of the
image presented. Sure, there can be different interpretations, but without
understanding the artist's perspective you can only impose *your own*
perspective. It's like trying to understand Piet Mondrian's work without
understanding all the landscapes he did prior to that, or the topography of
the country he lived in. Without that understanding, his works are just
colorful squares!
Abstract art, in particular, is so much more intellectual than realistic
styles that it does take explanation to enjoy much of it. I grew up with
images around me, and frequent trips to the local museum, but still didn't
understand how amazing Picasso really was, or Frankenthaller or Bacon,
or....until I understood the circumstances behind the work.
Kids, in particular, need a hook to get them to appreciate what they
percieve, off the cuff, as staid and posed. This is the MTV-instant
gratification generation we're talking about. So many children haven't
learned the patience [I always tell my students that's a *learned* virtue!]
to simply wait for something that images without flash and sparkle and
implicit sex are easily dismissed by them. So you tell them the background
to help them understand the artist was not just making a pretty picture or
splashing color on a canvas. It does reach them and help them turn a more
educated eye upon the work at hand.
Whew! Hope you understand where I'm coming from!
Diane
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