Bonjour! M’selle/Sarah here. Last weekend while my mother and I were driving to church, we got into a discussion about contemporary art – mainly her distaste of it. We made a memorable visit to the High a few years ago when they opened their new addition and were showcasing a contemporary exhibit. My mother has never gotten over the “red triangle on the wall,” as she calls it (In actuality, it was probably a work by a renowned contemporary artist like Ellsworth Kelly).
In my years of art history study, I’ve come to learn that most people don’t like what they don’t understand (myself included). It befuddles and confuses us, and it used to make me feel uncomfortable because I just didn’t “get it.”
Enter a year in New York completing a Master’s program at Sotheby’s. They trotted us all over the globe (literally, from Santa Fe to Berlin), exposing us to the vast and blooming world of contemporary art. It was a study in patience and self-reflection for this little art historian. I spent the first day of the Art Basel-Miami fair wandering around, looking for art that I liked. Mistake #1. Contemporary art doesn’t fit in with my personal aesthetic. I love lady figures a la Bonnie Beauchamp Cooke or George Nasri and beautiful still-lifes from Nancy Franke. The closest I came to liking contemporary art was Geoffrey Johnson’s elegant, abstracted figures and Cecily Brown and Cy Twombly’s bright, chaotic abstracts (which, let’s be honest, I liked because the colors were pretty.)
I realized that to appreciate contemporary art, you don’t necessarily have to like it. Mistake #2 I made was looking for art that I would want to live with in my home. Contemporary artists are not creating the art that hangs over the sofa – they create for museums and dedicated, educated collectors who can look beyond its aesthetic. They’re pushing the limits of we think of as “art” (a shark immersed in formaldehyde a la Damien Hirst?), and how the viewer relates to and engages with the piece.
If you walk away with more questions than answers, that’s a good thing. Why did the artist make this piece? Why did he use these materials? What message is he trying to send? How is this supposed to make me feel?
Contemporary art can be hard, difficult, and uncomfortable. It’s challenging, mysterious, extreme, and provocative. But it can also be beautiful, honest, and pure.
An amazing thing happened on the second day of Art Basel. I was browsing through a gallery’s booth and one of their artists happened to be there. We started chatting about one of his pieces, and the more I spoke with this man, who challenged me to look at the piece in a different light, the more I realized that contemporary art is so much more than the physical creation in front of you. Yes, the composition of the piece can appear to be simple – how many times have we heard, “My kid could do that”? Or contemporary art can be amazingly complex and creative – so much so that it goes “right over our heads,” so to speak.
But the meaning of the piece extends far beyond its physical construction (paint on canvas, strips of Coke cans woven into a tapestry, golden toilets), and encompasses the artist’s goals for the piece, his frame of mind when he created it, and the social, historical, and political context under which it was made.
The creation being displayed in a gallery or museum is the tip of the iceberg, so to speak. Slowly, my questions were starting to be answered.
When we returned to New York, I made an effort to attend openings where the artists would be present. Otherwise I would buzz in and buzz out, walking around doing a quick survey of what was there and then leaving as soon as possible.
Because my personal tastes don’t lean towards contemporary work, I have to really challenge myself to take a closer look, dive in deeper, talk to the artist, read the information the gallery provides about the work, etc…It goes against my nature, so to speak, as patience is not one of my virtues either.
One of the things I’ve always loved most about Huff Harrington, when I first visited many years ago before the idea of working here was even a glimmer on the horizon, was how Ann and Meg make contemporary art so approachable.
The contemporary artists that are represented by the gallery are true artisans. They find their inspiration from an honest place deep within them, and it’s an honor that they share this work with us. It’s incredibly personal. They create beautiful, high-quality work that is not extreme for the sake of making an impact, which seems to be the trend in New York these days. I’ve had the pleasure of meeting and speaking with many of them, and afterwards, their work takes on a whole new meaning.
Traditional and contemporary works don’t have to be at odds – they complement each other beautifully, when given the chance. As I sit here writing this, my view is of works by Christian Nepo and Nancy Franke, two of our more traditional artists, hanging alongside Melissa Payne Baker, a Huffington contemporary favorite, in perfect harmony.
My challenge to you, our readers, is to step out of your comfort zone, just like I did. Next time you’re in a gallery or visiting a museum, if you see a piece that piques your interest but doesn’t suit your personal taste, ask about it anyway! Don’t be shy. No one learns without asking questions. In the next installment of this series, I’ll discuss one of the contemporary artists in the gallery and hopefully provide some answers to the “who, how, and why” of contemporary art. Let us know if there's a specific artist you'd like to see featured!
Tata!
S.
P.S. – In 2 weeks, Melissa Payne Baker is hosting a workshop at the Gallery at Paper Mill Village. Info below!
Loosen Up with Melissa Payne Baker - Learn how to paint acrylic abstracts on canvas. An artist workshop taught by Melissa at The Gallery at Paper Mill Village.
$150 per person
Click here to register for Loosen Up
When: Saturday, September 18
9:00a.m.-4:00p.m.
Where: 225 Village Parkway
Suite 320
Marietta, Georgia
Excellent post! Great reminder that art is about emotion and making you think; looking at art like this is harder for me too, but I love the challenge it invokes.
ReplyDeleteArt Basel/ Miami is an excellent way to view literally thousands of great pieces of modern works of art, guess at art trends, attend artist lectures and speak with the artists themselves. I agree modern art is complex and provoking. Most of the time when an artwork gives a strong reaction, good or bad, it's "speaking" to your soul. Ask yourself why. I am always surprised! As always, a great blog to read, thanks Huff Harrington Gallery.
ReplyDelete