Modern abstraction always provokes a strong reaction from me. It could be either good or bad, but nevertheless it is always a strong one. I walked into the Willem de Kooning exhibit at the MOMA with two immediate thoughts: This is a big exhibit and This looks like rubbish. Big collections can either prove to be redundant and overwhelming or lavish and extensive depending on the proficiency of the curator. I became restless as I tried to size up the entire exhibit, genuinely trying to give each piece a chance as I moved robotically along with the flow of people.
Suddenly, I wasn’t actively giving the pieces a chance, but standing in front of them because I was mesmerized. Towards the end of the exhibit were the pieces that I enjoyed most. I often scoff at the wannabe art connoisseurs who talk about the art in front of the art for all to hear, using the characteristic hand motions to convey their moved emotions. But, I found myself along with Kat, discussing the pieces, trying to interpret the meaning behind the paintings that on the surface, could just be written off as scribbles and blobs. I liked how the paintings towards the end provoked an emotion from me. And with abstract art, the emotion cannot be quickly attributed to an element of the piece because you cannot explain if you don’t understand. So, I tried to figure out why each piece instilled feeling in me and suddenly came to somewhat of an understand of de Kooning’s art.
I sometimes found myself positioned like this, pondering yet perpetually confused.
Abstraction such as de Kooning’s can have meaning. Many meanings. Everything is open for interpretation. It can also have no meaning. And that is the beauty of his work. The purpose of each work is not known because de Kooning left the interpretation to the viewer. When an artist masters this technique of leaving interpretation to the viewer, he/she has become a master. The goal of every artist, in my opinion as an artist myself, is to be able to create an intimacy between the artwork and the viewer. The artist does this by conveying emotion in the work and thus, leaving the meaning of the work up to the viewer. This suddenly makes the art very personal. I believe that this is the point of art and that de Kooning is a master. This might be arguable, some might say that anyone can do what he does because he does not display the conventional techniques of a master. I can throw blobs of paint on a canvas. Sure, you can. I don’t doubt any of you skeptics. But, with those blobs, can you invoke feeling? Can you create an intimacy? Can you give infinite meanings to your work and yet have it remain elusive? It is my turn to be a skeptic and say that most of you can’t answer yes to these questions. But, I’m sure if you can, the MOMA would open its arms to such a master.
Reading this article makes me think of one of my early discussions in our Seminar class. I did not want to understand what the idea behind the modern brush strokes was. I held a view that if the artist’s work was extremely abstract then it did not prove to the observer his artistic skill. Today my opinion has drastically changed. Having been exposed to various art works I now believe that it is not the artist’s ability to make an aesthetic painting but the idea of conceptualizing art. Art that calls for emotion and interpretation from the viewer has a beauty of its own. I have closely seen de Kooning’s work at the MoMa and early works of Picasso at the Cone Sister Gallery.
This growth of mine in order to appreciate different works shows me that there is a lot in this world to learn. One must not hold any strong opinions on a matter that he has not immersed himself completely in. I am glad that this seminar has allowed me to take my baby steps into the world of art appreciation.
This is an interesting perspective; however, I’m still undecided as to whether or not leaving the interpretation up to the viewer makes the artist a master. I understand that abstract art is extremely interpretative, but when I visited the exhibit, I found myself wanting to know what de Kooning had intended for his pieces. I wanted to know what he saw in them. A key aspect of creating abstract art is emotion, so knowing the artist’s inspiration would have been additional appreciated information, even if it had been just to know where he was coming from. Additionally, I completely agree with Ana’s claim that not just anyone can create abstract art such as the pieces made by de Kooning. There is a sort of systematic involvement in the creation of abstract art, just as there is with improvisation. For example, the artist/actor practices and experiments with various techniques, finds what works, and utilizes them at a later time. Once at that later time (the time of creating a piece of art), the artist embellishes on these techniques based on what he knows. Even though it may merely appear to be some haphazardly positioned “blobs” of color on a canvas, there certainly is a certain skill and inclination involved in creating successful abstract art.