[TheForge] Art, doncha know....

[Andy Gladish]

George has a point- when consummate skill isn't apparent in an object that
people have   gone out of their way to see, it disappoints at least the
craftsmen in the room, and many who are not artisans feel cheated also.
The first example that comes to mind is a canvas in the Detroit Institute of
Art- simply a large white field with a vertical line. My wife and grown
children pointed at it and said that it was worthless and fraudulent- I
thought it was remarkable that among all the classic paintings, that was the
one that made them stop and comment, that started a lively discussion about
what art was, and more important, it made them stop and stand and look for
just a moment.
Any artist who has taken time to master his skills wants to be appreciated
for that, and the viewers want to know that the artist put effort into it,
but there is a more important part- communication. That moment when a person
stands in front of a canvas or sculpture and just soaks it in, before
describing it to himself, is priceless- that's what I believe people come to
museums to experience.

When people shop, they want value for their money- it doesn't matter whether
it's Macy's or the museum- but I see museums not as shopping experience but
as a center of communication. It's a place to see, to stop, to soak up the
textures and colors, to be challenged to recieve perhaps a deeper message
than an impression of skill or intrinsic value.

Andy Gladish
Guemes Island WA
www.elementfe.com