Sunday, February 24, 2008

UC Course: The Art of Looking at Art, Week 1

Currently, I am teaching a University College short course on the process of “looking at art,” and we’ve been engaging in some exciting discussions about art and the role of the viewer/participant in our experiences with art. We’ve also been engaging in some open and interesting dialogues in the galleries about particular works of art. In fact, this class has been one of main motivating factors for finally developing this blog.

Week 1 Overview:

What is the “art” of looking at art? Is there such a thing? Does it matter? How should we approach modern and contemporary art? What are the elements of our “experience” with works of art?

We discussed the elements of the aesthetic experience, the importance of keeping an open mind when looking at art, and then engaged with a painting by contemporary artists Thaddeus Strode. I thought that the conversation we had in front of his work "Picket Fence" was very enjoyable and meaningful. We were able to "step up" to the painting as viewers, bringing our own experiences and stories to Strode's mixed-up and imaginative worlds.

In the exhibition's audio guide and podcast, Strode expresses his interest in the experience that happens "between the viewer and the painting, because then there's a whole new dialogue that happens . . . a whole new narrative that starts." "With any work of art, I believe there's a phenomenon that happens between the viewer and the work of art," Strode continues. "When you look at a work of art, there's something new that's built."

2 comments:

Mike said...

Great posting at Art Saint Louis about the Thaddeus Strode exhibition at the Kemper Art Museum (even a reference to the Education Guide).

Link to Blog Posting

Anonymous said...

People should read this.