Art Appreciation
“A true artist is not one who is not one who is inspired but one who inspires others.” — Salvador Dalí
When I was young, I didn't have an interest in art because I found it boring, and I wasn’t exposed to it very often. Hence, I did not understand how they related to me or why it was important. However, as I grew older, I began to realise that art is an interesting way to expand ideas and convey messages through imagination.
During the Stone Age period, human creativity was already evident in cave walls. At that time, humans had the ability to make tools and were able to resharpen and strengthen them, which allowed them to hunt, gather, and build. One of the remarkable activities that had been recorded was cave paintings. This suggests that humans had already demonstrated a great level of skill and creativity. The cave paintings were a way of recording activities when paper had not been invented.
As time has passed, the style of art has shifted. Each period of art represents different changes. For example, Renaissance art(1400–1600) describes subjects such as religion, music, and theatre, which are mostly devoted to churches and public areas for worship.
Other movements in art history have also represented significant changes in style and subject matter. For instance, Baroque art(1600–1730) emphasized extravagance and emotion. It often depicted religious and mythological scenes.
Each of these movements has its own unique approach to the artistic process. At the same time, I am constantly fascinated by the diversity of styles and techniques used by these early artists. I noticed that art has always been a way for humans to express ideas, emotions, and connect with others across time and space. I’m amazed by the way humans could communicate with the limitation of languages and technology about personal experience.
Visiting museums is my pastime. Whenever I travel, museums will be in my itinerary, especially museums about art. Earlier this year, I travelled to Australia with my parents. As they are not keen on going to museums, I planned a day trip for myself to visit museums. Two museums that I have been to were The Art Gallery of New South Wales and the State Library Sydney. Both of them are about art. State Library Sydney is larger and newer. It has three levels but I didn’t get to look through all the artwork.
During the visit, I was particularly drawn to the collection of war and history paintings. History has always been my interest, and I learnt a lot just by looking at those paintings and reading the description. Many of the artworks are painted by indigenous artists. Those paintings of war were exceptionally striking, reflecting on the nation’s past, and the sacrifices and struggles of its people.
One of my favourite paintings is “The Virgin in Prayer”, which was painted by Sassoferrato. The portrait was simply painted in three colours: red, blue, and white without much attention to detail. Despite the lack of background, the painting is executed beautifully.
I’m not a painter or an artist. I’m just a normal human who begins to build an interest in art. I know nothing about art and lack the vocabulary to describe an artwork. Yet, this is just the beginning of my journey starting to learn how to appreciate art. Even though I don’t understand an artwork, I try to start from the basics and pay attention to colors, shapes, and textures, and hopefully, I can communicate with others about art easily.
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