The first important point of today’s class is what is called “name recognition”. When we walk into an art museum, the first thing shown on the label beside an artwork is the name of the artist. Such an emphasis on artists can create bias, for people would always pay more attention to the artist they know, i.e. the famous master such as van Gogh and Da Vinci, and ignore the art created by someone unfamiliar or anonymously. Deciding which artworks to pay more attention to and appreciate more based only on who created them can lead to some great anonymous work, for example, be out of sight. This reflection definitely makes me more conscious about my own bias on the artwork, and next time I visit an art museum, the names out of my radar may instead catch more attention since they now successfully raise my curiosity.
The next important concept is “Deaccession”, which refers to the act of museums selling their artwork to the public. That causes controversy and many people disagree with it, since masterpieces may be transformed into private property and disappear from the public. The reason also includes that artwork can not be protected well outside the museum or that the museum does not have the right to sell the artworks since they are not the creator.
We also discuss contemporary art, which is often be characterized as “a kid could do it” and “I don’t get it”. Instead of emphasizing more on the craftsmanship and skilled painting technic as in the ancient time, modern art underscores “idea” and “concept”. What it means is that people today are buying ideas of artwork for its metaphor or innovation. I guess there is no such thing as which one is better, the craftmanship or the embedded idea, for each one has its uniqueness and reason. Though contemporary art may seem to be easy to create without great skills, innovative ideas embedded within can be something we can learn from rather than mock at.