All Things Fine Art

Have you ever looked at modern art and thought “I could do that”!  This is not an uncommon reaction by folks not trained in art. It’s unfortunate that the American public education system doesn’t do a better job of introducing art to young people. If they did, our public would have a better understanding and most importantly appreciation for fine art of all venues.

Henri Matisse, “The Dance”

Most folks relate to representational art and enjoy it at one level or another but scratch their heads over modern art. On Facebook today, one man asked if anyone out there could explain to him how to look at art works by artists such as Matisse.  My answer to him was that he needs to study a body of work by Matisse. Viewing one isolated painting will not give him enough information regarding the artist’s intent.

I have to admit, Matisse has never been my favorite artist. However, in 1992, while visiting New York my husband Paul and I, having a couple of unexpected hours to fill, decided to go to the Matisse Retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art. The show was beautifully curated taking up several floors to exhibit his four hundred of his earliest works to the last one completed just before his death. When we left the museum, Paul and I walked several blocks without saying anything.  He finally said to me in a hushed tone, “that was like a religious experience”.  I agreed with him.

Seeing a body of work can give one a much better understanding of a creative focus. It should be remembered, that many accomplished artists, work within a theme. Consider Klee discovering all that he could do with line, or Monet’s search for the optimum expression of light. Theme’s such as these can be a life time creative pursuit. As a viewer, if you understand what an artist strived for then their focused path of discovery will make sense and one can better appreciate their works. This is exactly what happened for me when I viewed the life works of Matisse. He may still not be my favorite artist, but I can assure you that I have a deep and abiding appreciation for his work now that simply didn’t exist before seeing his retrospective.