There’s something beautiful about standing in a room full of beautiful and acclaimed artwork. But sometimes, it’s the conversations they elicit or that you hear in passing that are more interesting. This is because everyone has different interpretations of the same piece of artwork and sometimes even of one section of an art piece. Being in the MoMA is always interesting because there is always the opportunity to have engaging conversations about the artwork; because of this, I was glad to have been there with my partner, Nureen. As we walked around the galleries, we would point out and comment on the different paintings that stuck out to us.

Having read the Berger and Barnet readings made me view the artwork in a slightly different light than from my past visits. I, too, used to look at art and try to interpret it as an art expert or art historian, which put up a barrier between me and the artwork. I would try too hard to find some deeper meaning or message, but I never truly tried to figure out my own, independent opinion. Berger’s point about how the ability to replicate and reproduce art has allowed for a mystification really struck a chord with me. I had never thought about the barrier we place between ourselves and the art we see. This time around, I was able to try to interpret the art–with aid of the background information given on some of the plaques–on my own, which was a point made by both Berger and Barnet. We usually don’t know the artist’s intent, but one of the benefits of replication and reproduction of artwork nowadays is that it’s accessible to, potentially, anyone, allowing us to be able to see a piece of art and interpret it based on our own experiences and thoughts. Art is made valuable by the viewers who look at it and appreciate it, but everyone appreciates a piece of art for different reasons because we all think differently and have our own unique experiences.

For me, this idea really took shape when I was viewing the contemporary art gallery, which focused on using art to show political conflicts around the world. In the past, I may have just quickly walked through the gallery, occasionally reading the plaques of the interesting pieces, but this time around, I really took my time interpreting the pieces for myself. And through talking to Nureen, I got to see first hand the notion that people interpret art differently. For instance, there was an installation that was just a black room with one huge screen of bright white light, nothing more, nothing less. It certainly helped to read the three panels on the wall leading into the room, but once I got in there, it touched me in a beautiful way. The overwhelming light made me think of my own past and of some of my own personal memories, and I honestly almost cried because of the emotion it elicited in me. And it was nothing more than a huge, lit up screen. To Nureen, perhaps it was simply just a bright light in a dark room, but for me, it was so much more because it made me think of my struggles.

There is no right or wrong way to interpret a piece of art; I believe that part of the reason so many people feel so out of touch with art is because they feel that it’s something only certain people can understand. But that is not the case, and at least for me, I appreciate artwork so much more now than I did before. The meaning of a piece is fluid and unique, and there’s a certain beauty in just that itself.