5 Things I Never Say When I’m Talking About Art
By Kris Vagner
1. That’s not art
Artists aren’t obligated to make art that “looks like art.”
Take the Félix González-Torres piece that’s at the University of Nevada Las Vegas’ Barrick Museum through 2023. It’s an homage to the artist’s partner, who died from AIDS, in the form of a pile of individually wrapped hard candies on a gallery floor.
Photo by Kris Vagner.
2. You’re so talented
Talent is a gift. I’m about as likely to praise someone for their talent as I am to praise them for being born pretty, rich, or smart.
3. There’s no accounting for taste
There is so much accounting for taste. The reasons people like the things they like are endlessly fascinating.
4. There’s no such thing as bad art
There’s plenty of bad art.
But that is 100% OK. We need a lot of bad art for any good art to exist. A first draft is never a masterpiece. A tenth draft probably isn’t either.
If you want to spend an afternoon (or a decade) drawing or dancing badly, you should. Maybe with practice, you’ll get to a well-resolved, finished piece. If you don’t, that was still a perfectly good way to spend your afternoon or decade.
5. “I like …” or “I don’t like …”
I know what I like. I know what I don’t like. But I rarely lead with either.
Don’t get me wrong. I think there’s plenty of room in the world for well-reasoned opinions, and I don’t reject evaluative criticism wholesale. The reason I tend not to use “I like …” or “I don’t like …” as a go-to framework is this:
Between the time an artist has an idea and the time a viewer sees the finished artwork, the piece has gone through a lot of filters: The artist’s own biases, perspectives, and objectives are just a few of them. Then, the viewer brings a similar set of filters—plus a mountain of expectations. Some people want art that’s intellectually engaging. Some want a surprising experience. Some want an artwork to confirm their own worldview. Some want it to challenge their worldview. Some want nothing more than to hang it above the couch.
Whether I like a piece of artwork depends on all of the above—and then some. More often than not, I end up concluding that my opinion isn’t one of the Top 10 most useful points of the discussion.
Photo by Kris Vagner.
Kris Vagner has been an artist, art teacher for grades K-college, and Arts Editor for Reno News & Review. She is now the Editor and Executive Director of Double Scoop, the nonprofit news outlet that covers the visual arts statewide.
Kris Vagner will be moderating the Nevada Humanities event Art and Mental Health on Wednesday, July 13 from 6:00-7:30 pm at the Lake Mansion in Reno. Learn more and register for this event HERE.