How to Not Talk Around Challenging Art
When invited to talk about a challenging piece of art with other people, many folks instead talk around it. What they say often boils down to:
I like this.
The person who made this is great.
Your interpretation is wrong.
This is simple so it doesn’t merit further discussion.
Context explains this.
A confused combination of the statements above.
Generally, these statements aren’t conducive to the aim of understanding or admiring a work of art. (Though you don’t need to understand something to admire it, and vice versa. I don’t claim to confidently understand some of my favorite novels; I’m attracted to many of them because they’re beyond my comprehension.)
Statement #1 is useless because it’s a dead end. Useful questions that can replace it: Why do I like this? How am I responding to this? How are others responding to it? How might the piece of art be eliciting these responses?
Statement #2 is another dead end. Useful questions to replace it: Why am I relating this artwork to its author? What does this work say about human experience in general? How does this work connect to my particular experiences? If I judged the creator of this piece to be a terrible person, would that change my thoughts about the work? Why?
Statement #3 can lead to useful conversation, but those who say it often argue as if aesthetic opinions are objective. Useful questions that can replace this statement: How exactly do experiences and interpretations of this work differ? Which part of the work lends evidence to your interpretation? What other reactions and interpretations might make sense?
Statement #4 isn’t useless if these questions are then asked: Why does this work seem simple? If someone who had studied this piece for decades walked in and said that this is artwork is technically and conceptually complex, would you believe them? If the work isn’t simple, what about it evokes simplicity?
Statement #5 can lead to helpful information, but it’s often used to dismiss the work in question. (Many bad lectures are baroque variations of statement #5.) Useful questions to ask instead: If I found this work without knowing what came before it and what followed it, what would I say about it? Does this work teach us how to interpret it? What about this work feels confusing, frustrating, or unfamiliar?
#6 is difficult to deal with, but you can dissolve its interlocking confusions by asking this question: What is going on in this specific part of the work?
