I draw and paint (am fairly decent at it), and my eye, I'd say, is not wholly untrained, but I am no art critic or even what you might refer to as an experienced eye in the sense they use the term, so a combination of eye and gut feeling is my lens. Which is why I couldn't agree more that art must be felt, first and foremost. By the way, my sister and I are with you about the Wedding Feast at Cana. We were similarly awed by it during our visit; much more than with the Mona Lisa! Safe travels to the island - I look forward to following along on Instagram :)
Love this post and couldn’t agree more that art needs to be felt because everything else is so subjective. It annoys me when what I consider an underwhelming piece of work is sometimes accompanied by long intellectual descriptions of what it’s supposed to be. At the same time, art with little ‘technique’ can be extremely evocative. What I love about the biennale is how it steps out of the traditional elite art gallery space and makes it more accessible (compared to other city art scenes). Thanks for writing this post!
There are gatekeepers everywhere and with art, in particular, the pressure to "get" contemporary art can be overwhelming. The Biennale was a great experience and like you said, it encourages noobs like me to just access art and think about it on our own terms.
I felt the same way about the Mona Lisa. I think the fame is the story and not the painting. I have always thought art appreciation was internal.
Couldn't agree more, Melissa! The Mona Lisa's mythology certainly contributes to its popularity.
I draw and paint (am fairly decent at it), and my eye, I'd say, is not wholly untrained, but I am no art critic or even what you might refer to as an experienced eye in the sense they use the term, so a combination of eye and gut feeling is my lens. Which is why I couldn't agree more that art must be felt, first and foremost. By the way, my sister and I are with you about the Wedding Feast at Cana. We were similarly awed by it during our visit; much more than with the Mona Lisa! Safe travels to the island - I look forward to following along on Instagram :)
Thanks, Anu! You should share some of your paintings in The Storyteller!
And yes, the Wedding Feast at Cana is, quite literally, a feast, isn't it?
Maybe, we shall see! :) And yes, it certainly is!
Love this post and couldn’t agree more that art needs to be felt because everything else is so subjective. It annoys me when what I consider an underwhelming piece of work is sometimes accompanied by long intellectual descriptions of what it’s supposed to be. At the same time, art with little ‘technique’ can be extremely evocative. What I love about the biennale is how it steps out of the traditional elite art gallery space and makes it more accessible (compared to other city art scenes). Thanks for writing this post!
Thanks, Ila! Glad you liked it. :)
There are gatekeepers everywhere and with art, in particular, the pressure to "get" contemporary art can be overwhelming. The Biennale was a great experience and like you said, it encourages noobs like me to just access art and think about it on our own terms.