Some Ponderings on Art and the Rochford Art Trail 2015
Appreciating Art
The fact that you have clicked on this page suggests, at the very least, that you just may be interested in Art or wondering what Rochford Life has to say about it. First of all, although we have a teaching element in our background it is not in respect of Art. We just write about it and wholly support the annual Art Trail because we love art and love Rochford and would therefore want to encourage others to as well. This is a not a deep philosophical piece or even a scholarly dissertation. It is just some very basic thoughts that might, hopefully, stir interest.
There are four big things about the Rochford Art trail:
1. It is local and therefore if you live in Rochford it is easy to get to.
2. It is free. It costs nothing to wander around the town.
3. It is here for ten days so that makes it quite accessible.
4. There is variety of art and of activity. (see more on ‘Countdown to the Trail’)
But how do you appreciate art? May I make the following suggestions?
1. Get the big view
See art as a wide spectrum of work by creative people. You may not like everything you see but start being aware of your own perceptions and wonder why you like one thing but not another. Having a wide spectrum of materials, art forms and styles that will be on display in Rochford, means there is much to ponder on. I used to only appreciate what is called ‘fine art’ – paintings, but as the years have gone on I appreciate every single work that appears on the Trail. This doesn’t mean that I have become less discerning but actually have come to appreciate a greater variety of end products of the creative process. Many years ago I was in the Getty Centre in Los Angeles, a major museum with art galleries, and found myself standing in front of Grand Masters just marvelling at how anyone could have produced such incredible masterpieces. Now we may not have ‘masterpieces’ (in the term usually used) on the Rochford Art Trail but what we have is good and I still stand before shop windows of the Trail and marvel and think, “How did she/he do that? That is so good!”
2. Don’t be put off by your own lack
I am not an artist, and in fact some in the Art Groups of Rochford that I visit know that I get almost neurotic when they suggest I pick up a paint brush, but the point I would make is you don’t have to be an artist to appreciate art. Appreciating art, I would also suggest, is very therapeutic.
3. You can express appreciation in a variety of ways.
As I have wandered around the Trail over the last few years I have had “Wow! Awesome!” reactions, as well as, “Oh, that’s fun, I like that!” to “Wow, that’s really beautiful!” and quite a variety of other responses – all good. Two years ago in the Beehive I found Ian Hackett’s Galleon, a traditional ‘masterpiece’ style that made me just go, “Wow! How do you produce something like that at home???” and then…… no, I was about to comment on every piece on each page that is still here and available, but I will overcome the temptation. Why not go round the Trail this year and stand in front of every exhibit and see what sort of response it evokes in you – each piece will stir a different response. I’ll be honest and say there are some styles that leave me cold, but that doesn’t stop you appreciating the creativity of this particular artist. If you’re up for it, why not e-
Another thing that is interesting about the Rochford Art Trail – and I wonder if it is true of all Art Trails (and there are a lot of them around now) – is that people seem to come to see it from far and wide, from around Essex and even further afield in the country. Now the local authority and shopkeepers herald this as good for Rochford – and I don’t dispute that; Rochford has a lot for it and we should shout the odds for it.
But here’s another thought: ‘culture’ is often associated with such words as ‘education’ and ‘sophistication’ and ‘learning’ and ‘civilisation’. Intriguingly, antonyms for ‘culture’ include ignorance, coarseness, rudeness, and a lot more. So my question becomes, should we not be encouraging anything that pertains to ‘culture’ and seek to involve as many people as possible, from all age groups and all social strata, simply because in the long term it will benefit Rochford and improve the ‘social environment’? Does that not mean benefiting more than local business, but the whole of the local society? Is the Art Trail too small a venture, or should there be offshoots of the Trail in other forms? How about a ‘Musicians’ Trail’ and offshoots, or what about a ‘Literary Trail’ perhaps, based on short story writing, or a Poets’ Trail? The possibilities are endless! Ideas? Possibilities?
Here endeth this mini course in, ‘Self Awareness and Art’. Enjoy the coming Trail.
We like the Rochford Art Trail, and here’s why!