This is a great thread!! I am an historian, not an artist, or art historian, but I am a museum person. So I have a good background on museums and a horrible background in art. I do like going to art museums, but I often come away with nothing, or sometimes even annoyed at the experience. I rarely feel completely satisfied by a trip to an art museum.
I recently went to the MoMA Queens exhibit "Ansel Adams at 100" and I really did enjoy the photographs, but then I also think that Ansel Adams is an artist for the masses -- very easy to enjoy visually. I did find myself frustrated at the lack of labels though. There were concept panels throughout -- some interesting ones about his life and state of his career, but I as I went through, I got annoyed because I wasn't told how the photos were created. How were they developed and when? What print was this? Etc. Now, I don't even know if these are good questions to ask about a photograph, but that is my point. I certainly enjoyed the exhibit, but I felt I came away with no more knowledge than I had before. Did I enjoy the photos, yes. But I have always liked Adams.
But what about an artist such as El Greco? I don't enjoy his work aesthetically -- normally I just pass by what I don't like. But is there something that might make me understand why he uses such ugly colors and his forms are always so twisted and unlife-like to me? Maybe, but I don't know that answer. Maybe an art curator does. Would I pass by if there was a panel explaining his form and color? No, I would read it and probably feel much more satisified and maybe not like his paintings, but feel as if I understand them better. Isn't art supposed to be both the idea and the technique? How can I appreciate it if I do not understand the technique?
And there seems to be two ideas floating on the list -- the aesthetic vs. understanding. Is this an idea that is debated within the art community? Maybe another idea that an art museum could explore and shed some light on for the uninformed like me.
I don't have any answers here, obviously, but I thought the voice of an oftentimes frustrated art museum visitor might be a good thing to add to this dicussion.
Sheryl Woodruff