How to Learn to Understand Painting

Some people think that 90% of people don’t know anything about painting, because they can’t distinguish a good picture from a bad one. The latter says that art is understood by everyone, and the third radically note that it is not necessary to “understand” because the paintings are designed only to give us pleasure.

1. Learn more about painting

The first thing that needs to be done is to get some idea about the painting of different epochs. As much as we would like it, we are unlikely to distinguish Raphael from Rubens and Titian from Rembrandt by the stroke of a magic wand. For this purpose, we need a theoretical basis. Therefore, it is worth reading about the directions in the fine arts, great masters and outstanding works of each era.

Such information can be found today in numerous books on art, as well on the internet by searching online manuals. Any online manuals – detailed or surprisingly short, for example, biographical reference books on masters of painting – will be suitable.

Finally, read all the news connected with art. As6 for example, recent “battle of” Yves Bouvier.

2. Learn to see the painting

After that, you need practice, if you will, self-check. At this stage, you can’t do without an album with reproductions of various artists (the best way to do that is to have a catalog of the art gallery). Having opened it, one should try to define the epoch and the current to which this or that master belongs, and perhaps even his name. The procedure can be repeated every day if you have the desire and five minutes free. Only, dibs, do not peek!

3. Train the feeling of beauty

Even more effective will be training on real canvases than on beautiful pictures in a book. Just make yourself scarce at the weekend in a local art gallery or museum, where you’ll finally meet face-to-face with the works of art that are a little more understandable to you.

4. Distinguish between good and bad paintings

When you become a frequent visitor to museums, you will be asked how to distinguish a good picture from a bad one. But you can only establish if the work is good with experience. If you constantly admire the masterpieces of great masters, carefully browsing through the catalog before going to bed and at least once a month to visit galleries and museums, then soon you will have no difficulty to assess the unfamiliar canvas at the exhibition in the resort town, where you came to relax on vacation.

5. Admire the works of the artists

Sometimes we don’t understand what experts find in one or another of the artist’s works. Take, say, the famous “Black Square” Malevich, which at one time caused heated controversy. What is it that everyone admires in the works of masters so much?

Before glorifying the first picture, it should, so to speak, be investigated, mentally broken into 3 elements – the line, volume, color. What of this dominates the picture? What attracts more attention? Your answer will determine the main advantage of the canvas.

However, we should not forget about the overall impression of beauty. At different times there were different generally accepted standards of beauty. In the 19th century, admired the magnificent forms (remember the nude Renoir), and in the 20th century began to welcome the angularity and thinness, which Serov hypertrophied in “Ida Rubinstein”.

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