groundimpressions

3 things I’ve learnt about art since I started blogging.

Welcome to blog post number 100! I thought it would be a nice idea to do something slightly different this time. It’s been 5 years since I started this blog and here is a short list of things that often pop up when I research art for my blog.

1. Art does not have to be beautiful

Art does not need to be beautiful in order to be considered good. Art can be pretty, charming, ugly, clever, thought-provoking, or simply cool. It doesn’t need to be good-looking to be important or meaningful. Some artworks are meant to evoke specific responses or feelings, like shock, discomfort, or nostalgia. Just because a painting or sculpture is not conventionally beautiful doesn’t mean it’s not ‘real art’.

Portrait of a white man in dark top on a purple background. Across the top of the painting is a thin orange strip with four simplified blurry faces of blonde white women wearing red lipstick.
Pauline Boty – Portrait of Derek Marlowe with Unknown Ladies (1962-1963). Boty was the key figure of British Pop Art, her artworks were often a social commentary.

2. A work of art doesn’t have to do everything at once

Can a piece of art be aesthetically pleasing, skillful and deeply meaningful at the same time? Of course it can but it doesn’t need to. There is nothing wrong with an artwork that is merely pleasing to the eye. When buying artworks for your home you should absolutely buy whatever brings you joy.

Painting of a group of abstracted black nude figures tangled as if in a dance in a composition on blue and purple background.
Tunji Adeniyi-Jones – Prideful Youth. The artist is known for his vibrant compositions influenced by West African aesthetics.

3. Context is important

Have you ever wondered why everyone is obsessed about a particular piece of art but you somehow don’t feel it? You are not alone. (This may or may not be about a certain Renaissance portrait of a gently smiling Italian lady with no eyebrows…) It is not always obvious what you are supposed to be looking at. Just by looking at a painting or sculpture you will not magically know what the artist wanted to convey. Personally, when visiting a museum or an art gallery, I like to have some information available, especially with concept art. Some contemporary artists say that they prefer to leave things open to interpretation, which is fine too. One important thing to consider is if you don’t like a particular piece of art, maybe it’s simply not for you. There is plenty of art out there waiting to be discovered.

Sculpture of a globe displayed on a stand in a white room. The globe is made of wire and the shapes of the continents are made out of red neon tubes.
Mona Hatoum – Hot spot. The artist investigates topics of displacement, conflict and gender violence. She often uses found objects in her multimedia sculptures and installations.

Thanks a lot for visiting my blog and a big thank you for the following. In the past five years I have shared and written about various types of art including painting, sculpture, video art, performance, installation art to name just a few, and I will continue to do so. If you just stumbled upon my blog for the first time, you can follow Ground Impressions for more art content. Cheers!

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