Rihokora #11 Awareness of (no) awareness

 Awareness of (no) awareness (意識=awareness, consciousness)

(む)意識の意識 

November 28, 2020

Nowadays, I want to have an input

インプットしたい今日この頃

Sayashi is now interested in art.

But rather than the artwork itself, I am interested in how people who enjoy art, articulate how art appeals to them. The reason I have suddenly become interested in this is because, I think, my perception of art or other creative works has changed. I have been exposed to a lot of art! I have always been enthusiastic about art, even when I went to museums and saw pictures and paintings, it always made me think, but lately, my feelings about art have been more than just “This is nice. I think I like this.”

But those who really appreciate art think “What do I like about this artwork, and what is good about it?”, and have a more concrete understanding of how the artwork appeals to them.

Of course, simply by enjoying art, we understand it, and we can talk about it based on that understanding, but I also think that if we can see art from an “art lover’s perspective”, we can learn more about it, and discover new things, even in art that we have already been exposed to, music included.

If we approach it from a different perspective, and are able to articulate that, we will have more tools to communicate our appreciation, and that’s a good thing, I think!

Eventually, good output

いずれは良質なアウトプットを

Because of this, I am now reading a book titled “Art Thinking from Age 13”.

I am still reading it, but this book has taught me all about art! Many of us, unconsciously perceive art through the filters of stereotypes and generalizations, that have formed throughout our lives, but as is described in one of the book’s lessons: “At first glance, the picture may look absurd, but this is how the artist interpreted this commonly known painting technique, and expressed themselves this way, intentionally. You can see it, right?”. I think this book can help expand the ways in which we understand art.

From a broader perspective, this doesn’t only apply to art, but also our daily actions and behaviors. We express ourselves in numerous ways, and people often make assumptions, so it’s not strange that art would also be interpreted differently by different people. There isn’t a single correct answer, and there is a lot of room for interpretation.

Artworks that are now critically acclaimed, were not received so well at the time of their release, because they didn’t match what was considered good at the time. It is easy to understand that we are affected by the filter of “what is commonly believed during a certain time period”.

However, I do wonder if it’s always necessary to have this different perspective. I feel it may add a strange pressure to over-analyze things. A simple “I love it!” can be fine, and I will be the first to say that.

But as I was reading this book, I realized that the people who support me and my work, are always good at describing what they like about my work.

I don’t think I am the type of person who can talk about things I like in a way that is always easy to understand, so I have a lot of respect for all of you that are better at doing that. It touches my heart when each one of you expresses their feelings in their own words. It makes me happy. This ended up being a love letter to everyone. Lol

I would like to learn from you. Fufufu (hahaha)

https://wanibooks-newscrunch.com/articles/-/1433