Concerning : knowing about art..
I beg you, please stop saying “I know nothing about Art” in an embarrassed fashion or being hung up about it.
“Knowing something about Art” means absolutely nothing when it comes to one's sensitivity, one's ability to appreciate or reject a work of art whatever it may be.
However, knowing something about the HISTORY OF ART is indeed cultural knowledge requiring only intellect (knowing which artist worked in which period, that he used or uses such and such a style, etc.). So you can therefore be very cultivated and yet totally incompetent when it comes to artistic sensitivity.
“Knowing something about art” is primarily a question of feeling. Everyone is capable of opening their hearts and feeling emotions when standing before a work of art, as long as the work expresses something itself, without relying on explanations or codes. The true work of art appeals to the heart and not the head.
In a work of art there are 2 main elements: IDEA and FORM.
The meaning or IDEA, expressed in a symbolic way, is the 4th dimension and it is not concrete. It cannot be analysed. However, it can be commented on so long as it is not deformed as a result. It can be felt when the FORM of the work is easy to decipher and this, without any intellectual knowledge, as long as there is harmony between idea and form. This 4th dimension is imprinted on everyone's subconscious, to a greater or lesser degree depending on their sensitivity, influencing the reactions of the individual when dealing with external events.
Back
“Knowing something about Art” means absolutely nothing when it comes to one's sensitivity, one's ability to appreciate or reject a work of art whatever it may be.
However, knowing something about the HISTORY OF ART is indeed cultural knowledge requiring only intellect (knowing which artist worked in which period, that he used or uses such and such a style, etc.). So you can therefore be very cultivated and yet totally incompetent when it comes to artistic sensitivity.
“Knowing something about art” is primarily a question of feeling. Everyone is capable of opening their hearts and feeling emotions when standing before a work of art, as long as the work expresses something itself, without relying on explanations or codes. The true work of art appeals to the heart and not the head.
In a work of art there are 2 main elements: IDEA and FORM.
The meaning or IDEA, expressed in a symbolic way, is the 4th dimension and it is not concrete. It cannot be analysed. However, it can be commented on so long as it is not deformed as a result. It can be felt when the FORM of the work is easy to decipher and this, without any intellectual knowledge, as long as there is harmony between idea and form. This 4th dimension is imprinted on everyone's subconscious, to a greater or lesser degree depending on their sensitivity, influencing the reactions of the individual when dealing with external events.