SENSASI RASA
A Virtual Exhibition by Widi Wardani, Syafrizal, and Mahendra Pam Pam
Talking about abstract art—in this case when specifically talking about abstract paintings—we must admit, abstract paintings are the most misunderstood art by people outside the art or design scene. Since we think that the wider public should have the same opportunity to enjoy artworks, hence we need to help these outsiders to understand how to appreciate the paintings.
Most of us, who live in the urban area and are inseparable from the movies and television culture, would certainly be quite familiar with the Daredevil series. In the third episode of the first season, there was an interesting scene that could actually explain how to appreciate an abstract painting.
Starting at 00:49:04 of the episode, there was a scene when Fisk, one of the characters, was in a contemporary art gallery, in the middle of staring at a white painting, approximately 180 x 180 cm in size, was approached by the gallery owner who—after greeting him and was aware Fisk was interested to buy a painting—started a conversation, “People always ask me how can we charge so much for what amounts to gradations of white. I tell them it’s not about the artist’s name or the skill required, not even about the art itself. All that matters is how does it make you feel?”
After pausing for a while, Fisk answered, “It makes me feel alone.”
Even though the conversation was a fictional dialogue in a television series which was obviously not a fine art program, the brief conversation somehow accurately explains how to appreciate an abstract artwork. Of course, throwing the right question is key to getting a correct answer, isn’t it? So rather than throwing questions like—as we often hear—”What is the artist’s intention by painting this?”, or “What is the meaning of this painting?”, a question like “What do you feel when you see this painting?” is far more appropriate.
Because, actually, visual art is not only about what we see. Even further, it is about how we feel. And by being able to feel, which means going through the experiences we personally feel so that we relate with the painting we are staring at and then let our feelings embrace it, we would find the significance and meaning of the painting, by ourselves. Talking about the sensation of personal taste, then, two different people will surely have two separate feelings to define, though in front of the same painting. Since every artwork is supposed to be about a connection that is very personal and deep, often cannot be expressed and defined to others who have different experiences from our own.
Happy viewing.
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