I Don't Get It has been viewed by hundreds of museum visitors now as it enters its sixth week on display. In addition to starting this blog, we also hung a comment board in the show's gallery to invite questions, ideas, and reactions regarding the non-objective art on view. This not only allows us to answer your queries and pass on additional information, but it also lets us know what you think of the art work and the exhibition as a whole. Comments have been left by visitors aged five to sixty five, in English and other languages (I keep meaning to find a Chinese dictionary), that range from expressing a simple liking of a particular piece and an artistic rendition thereof, to some interestingly thoughtful reactions. Here are some highlights:
"I liked this exhibit!! It's nice to decide for yourself what the art is."
"This art is meant for the interpretation of the individual. One person may see one thing but another person sees something completely different. I find it amazing."
"Very creative, some of them I did not get though! I LOVE places liked this and it made me think. This place was very inspirational."
"This exhibition is truly magnificent. It was well worth the drive. Very well done!!"
"Abstract and non-objective art is essential because it invites the viewer to participate in making 'sense' of art in myriad ways. We loved this exhibit and felt fully involved in these works."
"It's hard to let go of the habit of relating what we see to someTHING we can recognize or identify. In a sense, this is art in its purest form - color as color, line as line; not used to help outline or define an object. It's challenging. I like that."
"The difficulty: how do I know that I understand something when understanding (at least in our culture) is a function of words, and when the object I wish to understand is non-verbal? We think we understand representational works (portraits, still-lifes, etc.), but it is an illusion created by our ability to name the parts. If you can't understand abstraction, you also don't understand representation. At one level, enjoying abstract art is akin to the joy and wonder we experience in the presence of a well-known quilt. But they can (and, for many, do) operate at deeper and more substantial and satisfying levels. This is a quite good collection."
Do you agree? Disagree? Have any comments? Let us know.
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I think Cate Hammond has done a fabulous job of presenting this exhibit of non-objective art in a way that helps the viewer grasp this challenging style of art. I am always amazed at the depth and breadth of the art which the Huntington Museum has in its collection.
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