The Dummy Series is always a good point to start for newbies. Art For Dummies is not a perfect book. But it has some good points that worth to share.
In the introduction, it says:
Art is for enjoyment, fun, the lifting of your spirits.
Many times when I tried to learn art, I felt I was dumb and didn’t have the talent. I guess I forgot the most basic purpose of art: It is an entertainment. If I can enjoy the art, why should I care if I really understand the author’s purpose or not?
The author, Thomas Hoving, also suggests that:
Look at ten works of art each day and your life will change for the better.
I guess that’s easier said than done for those of us who don’t have regular access to art. We don’t visit museums every week, not even every month. But I understand the point of the author. If we could really look at ten works of art everyday, no matter we understood them or not, the spirit of art would surely affect us and our life would be more colorful. So, even ten works everyday is not realistic, we should still look at arts whenever is possible.
Among all the content, I think the most valuable part of the book is the criteria to tell if a work of art any good
1. Does it express successfully what it’s intending to express?
2. Does it amaze you in a different way each time you look at it?
3. Does it grow in stature?
4. Does it continually mature?
5. Does its visual impact of mysterious, pure power increase every day?
6. Is it unforgettable?
The criteria is so easy to understand. Even though I am no artist, I can still ask myself these questions. And I have to agree that if a work of art really meet the above criteria, no matter what value it has in the expertees’ eyes, it surely is worthwhile to me.
For most of us, the most realistic way to get access to art is to visit a museum. Thomas also gives some good hints about visiting a museum.
1. Getting a postcard
2. Making a wish list
3. Looking at what you don’t like
4. Become a museum member
5. Avoiding guides
6. Listening to some music
Thomas says the best works in a museum are probably shown in postcards sold in the gift stores in the museum. So the easiest way to know what is worth to look at in a museum is to take a look at the gift stores. I used to buy postcards to memorize the best part of a museum, but buying postcards beforehand doesn’t sound like a bad idea, especially when I have no clue what to look at.
Nevertheless, the book has some drawbacks that really annoyed me.
The main part of the book is to introduce the art in different periods in the history. It does give good examples of each period, but the problem is that the book puts all the pictures of examples in several pages to save the cost of color print. I don’t know why but the pictures don’t have an index. So it is not just hard, it is impossible to find the picture mentioned in an example. After trying several times, I have to give up. And I have to conclude that a good book is not only made by a good author, but also a good publisher.
