What I've Learned From Art

I'll start by talking about how I felt at the beginning of this wonderful summer session of art appreciation. I signed up for this course because I loved art and I didn't understand a single bit of it. I knew what I liked, I thought it was pleasant or scary or sad or moving in some way, but that's all. I knew how it made me feel. But what I didn't know was why it made me feel a certain way or what the artist was really trying to say, or how it has affected me in my life today and how it has all affected the very development of human kind. Signing up for this course, my goal was to learn and develop my own understanding of art, and to learn how to really "read" it.
At first when I started reading the textbook, I wanted to panic at the thought that we would be going over so much of the mechanics of art. I didn't understand how working with such simple things as certain color choices could mean so much in the greater scheme of a piece of work. I had no idea that at one point, using arbitrary color schemes was such a new idea. I didn't know that abstract and non-objective art had such crazy, detailed and lengthy pasts. I figured everything just kindof lumped together and eventually somebody had a "Eureka!" moment and all was well. Now it seems that every little intricacy in art has so much meaning, it opens an endless hallway of doors through which we can learn about our past, present, and future.
Something I actually was really surprised at learning was the development of linear perspective and the whole idea of how to make a house look three dimensional and real, with all lines going in the correct directions and all objects as they would look in real life. It was fascinating to look at various images and works as the different ways of showing depth and perspective were developed.
The one part of the class that I enjoyed most (aside from the art visit!) has been watching all of these wonderful videos of the interviews that have gone on with various artists. It has been so much fun to really see them and hear them talk about a work that I’ve seen in person, yet in the video they are standing right next to it! I’ve learned more this semester than I ever thought I would about art and artists and just how much art really is yet another way we can keep track of our history and the development of society.
During this summer session I have learned so much more about art than I ever thought I would. I know I won't be bringing in my textbook any time soon! I think I'll be keeping it to try to learn more than I already have! I've really enjoyed this class and all that it has taught me.