Is It Necessary To Know The Artist's Inspiration To Appreciate An Artwork?

In many artworks the message that the artist is trying to communicate is obvious even to the uninformed viewer

. Take the work of the two artists Georgia O'Keeffe and Jo Bunce. Their approach to painting flowers needs no explanation "" they simply wish to portray the beauty of the flowers they paint.

But in many other works the viewer can appreciate the skill of the artist, find the image evocative or disturbing but may not really know what message the artist is trying to convey. This is particularly true of abstract art.

This is where some background on the artist's inspiration for a specific piece can greatly add to the appreciation of that work. Background does not refer to the Artist's Statement that most artists seem to produce under duress and with great difficulty. Many artists statements sound somewhat false and stilted because artists, by their very nature, are skilled at communicating visually. This does not always make them good communicators via words. And does a viewer or potential buyer of art really want to read all about the artist, their work, how and why they create art in the way they do?

A viewer is attracted first and foremost by the image itself. Then a few sentences giving them some insight into a particular work can be used to simply enhance their enjoyment of the work.

Art is not just about creating something visually appealing but about a dialogue between the creator and the viewer. The artist communicates a message and the viewer responds emotionally. Without that dialogue a piece of art has no meaning and can it really be classed as art if it is no more than a decorative image with no meaning behind it?

Unfortunately in today's throw-away society so-called "art" with no meaning and little merit is mass-produced for the masses. Instead of being something to treasure it is often bought simply to match the dcor and discarded when the dcor is changed.

This is such a shame when there are so many fantastic artists producing art that can bring another dimension to a living space, provide a talking point for years to come and, yes, can also be beautiful.

by: Michelle Symonds

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