The mood of the city is created by its inhabitants: they set a special rhythm, broadcast their own energy. If the locals are gloomy and dissatisfied, always in a hurry somewhere, then the guests of the city will feel uncomfortable. In order not to be tired and apathetic, you need to pay attention to what excites the mind and distracts from daily worries. For example, art
You don’t have to be an art critic to learn how to feel beauty. You can start understanding modern art with simple, basic things. The very term “modern or contemporary art” was introduced during World War II. It means an innovative turn in creativity, closely related to the avant-garde and modernism (Google if you are interested). Contemporary art has no limits and «brakes» – the absolute flow of creative self-expression.
It can be anything from a more traditional painting to a banana glued to the wall. The purpose of such creativity is the desire to evoke emotions in any way. Sometimes such a look can shock, repel (at first), frighten, but at the same time attract, impress, inspire. Sometimes it is difficult to understand what the author meant, because he tried to reach your subconscious in different ways. This means that such creativity should be felt, not analyzed.
Contemporary art covers a huge range of artistic techniques that have emerged due to the scientific and spiritual development of mankind. Such creativity is a reaction to the world around; everything that happens around the author, his personal opinion and perception of events, and, as a conclusion, – the transmission of this reaction with the help of everything that is nearby.
It is believed that in today’s world it is fashionable to be a creative person, and almost everyone is trying to create an artist out of themselves. And so every day it becomes more and more difficult to distinguish something really worthy of attention from ordinary posing. How then to understand what is in front of you: a meaningless attempt to stand out or a real burst of unbridled emotion, splashed on the canvas? Everything is quite simple.
Look closely at the work. What associations does it evoke in you? What emotions do you experience while contemplating it? What thoughts do you get from the image, sculpture, installation? Maybe the title of the work will help in understanding it?
If you have a desire to understand and analyze the author’s idea, ask about the artist’s biography, read his personal comments about the work, and finally the opinion of authoritative experts. Look for your authors whose works you will like.
The trouble is that we have a poorly developed culture of visiting exhibitions, viewing creative works. It happens that the artists themselves do not seek to show their creative achievements to the people of the city. Everyone goes to conquer the capital, because in big cities art is somehow noticed and extraordinary things are valued and perceived.
We do not know why this is happening, but we really want Zhytomyr residents to keep up with progressive trends and look for an opportunity to experience art that returns the joy of perceiving the world much faster than the TV screen does.
We hope you are now ready for virtual journeys in the art worlds that will give a sense of beauty.
In the title photo – the work «I’m here» (series «Process»), artist V. Kadar. Works by contemporary Ukrainian artists are exhibited at GnatyukArtCenter.