For artists, art isn't something to respect, it's something to enjoy.
Well, darn- you just said in that sentence what I've been laboring to sort out for myself. I think enjoyment implies respect, though, perhaps at different levels. I respect Andrew Lloyd Webber for his accomplishments and I certainly enjoy him, but I don't confuse him with Bach. And too, respect doesn't always mean enjoyment. I don't enjoy Dali, even though I respect that he is great at what he did. (But perhaps if I KNEW more, I might understand and then enjoy him more.) I don't know that I would ever really appreciate Pollack, though I understand he spent a great deal of time on every little splotch until it suited him, so there must be more there than random drips.
30 years ago, I saw an exhibit of Hogarth and it affected me deeply-- I can still remember how it made me feel(and trust me, if I remember ANYthing that happened more than a day ago, it had impact). It wasn't a pleasurable enjoyment, I was horrified and discomfitted, but it was -I don't know- an appreciation of the truths he portrayed and his insights into his times?
BAbbling. |
