The document discusses different levels of understanding and appreciating art, from basic knowledge and comprehension to deeper analysis and evaluation. It addresses questions people ask at each level, from logistical details to interpreting meaning and implications. The document also discusses the importance of understanding the context of an artwork, including the artist, time period, and culture. Appreciating art involves more than just aesthetics - it means understanding why the work was made and the artist's intentions.

1. WHAT ARE WE APPRECIATING?

2. WHAT KIND OF QUESTIONS ARE WE ASKING?
• KNOWLEDGE—LOGISTICS, DETAILS, INFORMATION,TERMS, IDEAS,
MATERIALS…
• COMPREHENSION—CONTEXT, INTERPRETATION, FINDING A LITERAL
TRANSLATION. NOT ABLE TO YET SEE THE FULL IMPLICATIONS OF ALL DETAILS TO
ANALYZE ARTWORK.
• ANALYSIS—HOW DO THE DIFFERENT PARTS OF AN ART PIECE WORK
TOGETHER TO COMMUNICATE A MESSAGE; QUESTIONING THE IMPLICATIONS OF
THE ARTIST’S CHOICES IN CREATING MEANING; ASKING HOW,WHAT IF,WHAT
ARE THE IMPLICATIONS, HOW DOES THIS FIT INTO THIS CONTEXT, ETC.WHAT IS
THE ARTIST ASKING US TO QUESTION ABOUT THE WORLD/OURSELVES/OTHERS,
ETC?
• EVALUATION—QUESTIONS THAT ASK YOU TO MAKE A JUDGMENT OF IDEAS
OR METHODS USING EXTERNAL EVIDENCE OR SELF-SELECTED CRITERIA
SUBSTANTIATED BY OBSERVATIONS OR INFORMED RATIONALIZATIONS.

3. Art:

4. Art:
FORM: MEDIA, STYLE, COMPOSITION
CONTENT: SUBJECT MATTER, MESSAGE,
ICONOGRAPHY
CONTEXT: KNOWLEDGE OF ARTIST, TIME &
CULTURE
ART

5. Art andTradition:
Historically conditioned
object/historical process

6. IS EVERY OBJECT A WORK OF ART?

7. “Our enjoyment and appreciation of works of art
in whatever medium is not something
completely isolated from everyday aspects of
human life. All of us, most of the time, make
decisions, come to conclusions and above all
appreciate and enjoy things in ways which are
the same sorts of ways in which we enjoy and
understand works of art”
– Ian Ground

8. EXAMPLE: CHOOSING
WHERE TO SIT IN THE PARK
TYPICALLY INVOLVES SOME
KIND OF AESTHETIC
DECISION

9. Appreciating art is not just
appearance/aesthetic value
(how) –it also involves
understanding why a work is
made in a certain way and
for what reasons.
A forged bill is not
counterfeit because it
doesn‘t look like the
original, but because it
was not made under the
right authority or
reasons.

10. CONTEXT
Barry McGee, AKA “Twist”

11. CONTEXT
Barry McGee, AKA “Twist”

13. APPEARANCE VS. INTENTION

14. “I use the pollen or the beeswax, which I did not create. I participate in the most beautiful
things in the world, which I could never create. I could never create this beauty of the
pollen. So the tragedy for me would be if I tried to make a painting out of pollen.”
“For me, the sky is much more important than trying to make a painting that is a symbol
for the sky.”

16. • A perceptual shift
• A formal expression of a conceived image
or imagined conception in terms of a given
medium – Sheldon Cheney
• “Art makes looking worthwhile”
• “Aesthetically intelligible artifacts”
• “embodied meaning”
• Art is determined by art institutions
(galleries, Museums, critics).

17. Anything can be art!
Duchamp didn’t make every shovel art, just the one he labeled.
Value is completely subjective.
There are methods of evaluating art, and just because viewers respond
differently doesn’t mean they don’t exist.
Anyone could do that.
A sentiment typically refuted with the argument, “But you didn’t.
I don’t know enough about art to talk about it.
Anyone can discuss art well, few of us however look at it long enough to
be able to do so. Trust your instincts, talk about what you see — don’t be
afraid to be wrong. The beauty of an opinion is that you can change it as
your response evolves.
(abbreviated) Fallacies about Contemporary Art
– L Magazine, May 13, 2009