Yesterday I visited the National Gallery of Art in
Washington DC. Since I always feel a bit lost in these grand places, I was
grateful to find a “highlights” brochure. I located my goal: a Da Vinci painting,
highlighted as the only one in North America. I started strolling, generally
heading towards my final destination, with intent to see other things on my way
there (by getting a bit lost). Then I found a sequence of galleries with works
by Van Gogh, Picasso, Gauguin, and Degas, feeling fortunate for my luck. Looking around the room I noticed a kid and
her mother, each next to a different painting, excitedly trying to get each
other to come to her painting because “it’s Picasso’s!”. Then it struck me.
Like brand names of clothing, where we are manipulated to
believe what we should wear, what is better quality, etc., we are manipulated
into thinking what will make us “cultural”, if you can even define this
adjective. Why do we need to see
these works at the museum or know these artists’ names? This kid and her mother
were merely putting check marks on their cultural “shopping lists”, to be able
to say, “I saw it”. I don’t analyze art to its every brush stroke, and I usually
don’t stare at the same painting, or any piece of art, for more than a few
minutes (as I noticed a man did, for at least half an hour, as I passed by him
twice, he was in the exact same position and posture). I do find some of these
famous works to my taste and even admire the technique. But I do not worship
every painting that was produced by their hands, merely because it’s theirs. Which makes me disappointed at
times, because with these “brands” comes expectation for something grand. But
that is not always the case. Will this make me pass on their works next time at
the museum? Probably not, but I would feel less obliged to make an effort to
find meaning in them, and more inclined to note the names of other artists whom
I enjoyed more.
In the same context, another thing to point out, connecting to limitations made by our knowledge, is that we are limited by what the museum finds appropriate to put on display. So even if I enjoy paintings by less famous artists, they are only less familiar. Meaning they are still “brand names” to someone with deeper art background than mine.
In the same context, another thing to point out, connecting to limitations made by our knowledge, is that we are limited by what the museum finds appropriate to put on display. So even if I enjoy paintings by less famous artists, they are only less familiar. Meaning they are still “brand names” to someone with deeper art background than mine.
*Thanks to my father for reviewing my post.
I think that what you are saying in this post is valid. Often times we force ourselves to like certain things, or even learn about certain things because of what we think we are supposed to do. I think this happens with many things. We see what others around us know and like, and we feel obligated to do the same. This is because we have made it seem like the people who aren’t “in the loop” are missing out, and wrong. But, why? Maybe they find beauty and interest in the work of someone less known, and everyone else is just missing out.
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