[DARISC]

Originally Posted by imcarthur

Please, will someone enlighten me?

Where does it say that one must like/understand/appreciated ALL art? In what rule book? In what manual? In what text? In what scroll from the ancients?

Beats me. In what rule book, manual or text does it say that you DON'T have to appreciate all art?

Isn’t it just a smidgen possible that one can appreciate certain styles or genres or ages of art & yet be unappreciative about others?

Certainly. But there is a difference between appreciating or not appreciating something about which you have little knowledge and appreciating or not appreciating something about which you do have some knowledge that can be used to explain your position beyond simply saying, "I don't like it; I don't appreciate it".

And if asked for an opinion, should I lie & mumble something about the artist’s feelings or his wretched life? Or should I express my actual feelings & give you my honest point of view?

The former, no. Who cares but you? The latter, yes, if "feelings" are the issue (and of course honesty should be a given prerequisite in life). But consider that if only how one "feels" about something is the issue, there is no place for a discussion with someone who has different "feelings" on the matter because - and here's the rub: "feelings" are purely subjective and it is perfectly valid to not want to discuss them with or validate to others who feel differently...in which case, no discussion, end of conversation.

And to attach the necessity of education to the subject of art appreciation is just so pompous & so typical of an academic’s dismissal of lesser mortals.

Being a bit stereotypical aren't you? Plenty of pretentious, pompous people perpetually proliferate pomposity in all professions (not just academia)!

I didn’t need education to tell me that I liked Renoir (as an example). After my 1st exposure, I wanted to learn more about Impressionism & I did. The deeper education gave me a better insight into the artists' time, lives, motivations etc but – a big but here - I didn’t need education to tell me that I liked Renoir.

Ian

You didn't need education - but you wanted it, so you educated yourself and gained an even better insight into something that you liked but didn't know much about. Great! But to exclude yourself from asking questions about something you don't like from the start and educating yourself to whatever degree on the matter, limits your horizons. But, as you ask, where is the book that says you have to? You don't of course. But realize that uninformed criticism of that which you don't like isn't of interest to another who may not like it either and also knows something about it except that fact.

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