I talk to a lot of people who are intimidated by art. People who are intelligent and articulate on a wealth of other subjects seem to clam up when it comes to drawings or sculpture. So often I hear things like, “I don’t know anything about art, but I really like this painting. The colors are stunning.” But see you do know something about art, I want to reply. You know what you like, and in this case you even told me why. That’s a whole lot more than nothing.
Why aren’t we comfortable with our own tastes in art? There’s an elitism in the art world that seems to intimidate people more than elitism in other creative fields. People feel free to embrace their own tastes when it comes to other media, but when it comes to visual art, so many seem to doubt themselves to the point where they avoid the subject all together. Ask someone their favorite movie or band, and they’re usually happy to answer you; ask them their favorite artist or painting and you’ll often get discomfort.
Are you unsure about your taste in art? Are you comfortable discussing your favorite painting in a museum, or are you worried that more learned people are listening in and chuckling to themselves about what you say? Are you confident about buying art, the way you’re confident buying a new album or movie ticket?
Not comfortable? Here are a couple thoughts I have about how you could start to improve your relationship with art.
