Preliminary Observations
Claiming Our Contact with Art
Château de Versailles
In today’s media landscape, it seems almost impossible to develop a coherent visual vocabulary because of the skyrocketing rates at which the eye is bombarded with images in the service of commercial interests. Alongside the rapid expansion of this nebulous design-for-hire-complex, the notion of fine art has emerged a conceptual enfant terrible. Increasingly unruly to define, it seems as if the collapse of the artist’s roles as spectator, patron, curator, producer, or the art itself also makes it difficult to locate the work along with the qualities that make it alluring. At the end of the day, the buying price functions as the sole demystifying element. What is it about that thing/performance that allowed it to sell for that much? I don’t know, because someone bought it?
However, to say that we should totally divorce art today from its roles as a hobby of the wealthy and profitable kitsch in order to understand ‘what it really is’ (is that new Rick Owens lineup actually a product of genius indicative of a world-historical moment?) would be disingenuous, because of art’s transactional role in consumer economies. That matte finish and sans-serif font in the website interface you liked the other day was undoubtedly the work of someone more than a mere technician, as they had to know how to tap into their array of rich visual experiences in order to capture the eye. But nonetheless, they mobilized their attention to detail to draw you in to a coffee subscription service.
The doom and gloom of image factories aside, there is nonetheless something sincere and compelling about a work of art that resonates with us individually, cutting through the not-so ambient noise in our headspace. What is it about that particular canvas, sculpture, or drawing that jolts you out of your 24/7 entertainment drip feed? Even if we have this capacity for genuine experiences with art, our contemporary tendency to boredom creeps up even in the most stimulating museum settings, as our eyes glaze over and scan the room for the next remotely exciting thing.
But in the event that you personally feel drawn to a certain painting, sculpture, or installation, you may find that you’ve moved beyond the tired questions: “What was the process behind the work?” “What does it mean?” Instead, we begin to ask: “Why is it that I feel a certain way?” “How do these components work to achieve this effect?” Being confronted by art in this way signals that what you’re looking at is more than repurposed iconography, but something brushing up against certain conceptual limits.
The fact that we can experience a novelly constructed work in a way that broadens our personal catalogues of meaning says something not necessarily just about art, but about ourselves. Art, at a personal level, is near its most effective not when it’s able to articulate an objective, sweeping, and universal truth. (Nor is it when it is integrated into our global economy.) Rather, it’s when it blindsides us with meaning assembled from what was previously familiar, which more than anything tells us something about ourselves. Art reveals that we may have had certain gaps in our understanding of not only the work but also the world it was created in, and it fills them in.
A step to take in order to be receptive to what art can communicate, in this regard, is being able to put our preferences into words; to be able to talk about the art we like codifies our tastes. The big takeaway from art appreciation is being able to discern the moment when we think “This is it.” And the challenge that this kind of contact with art presents is the fact that we have to rewire preconceived associations in order to accommodate a new work. But when art induces this rupture, it gives us an opportunity to think clearly to and about ourselves despite the torrential floods of content constantly assaulting the senses.
As Alexandria continues to move forward, we invite you to also reflect on your experiences with art as a force that opens up the possibility to think about the new.
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