Post 2: Conceptual Art

Post 2: Conceptual Art

I learned a new word and I like it. 

Heuristic: heu·ris·tic  [hyoo-ris-tik or, often, yoo]

 adjective

1.

Serving to indicate or point out; stimulating interest as a means of furthering investigation.

2.

Encouraging a person to learn, discover, understand, or solve problems on his or her own, as by experimenting, evaluating possible answers or solutions, or by trial and error, a heuristic teaching method.

             Bird says that the idea of making art based on a concept has been around since the Renaissance and can be seen in allegorical type paintings such as Pussin’s work or within the Romantic genre. I like the idea of heuristic themes leading the viewer “toward a discovery rather then beginning with an idea.” (Michael Bird, 2012) Purely conceptual art where there is no object, not even a readymade, to observe is not my favorite art. However this art has taken the artist’s ideas and turned them into symbols communicated through words. I can appreciate thoughts and concepts yet I would rather read them alone, in a quiet place to contemplate them. Robert Morris’s Document also known as, “Statement of Aesthetic Withdrawal” is this kind of art and one I would most likely pass over for another that I can have a visual experience with. Robert Morris was one of the founding fathers of minimalism and did produce more then just written documents to view. His art may not be my cup of tea but I am impressed and proud to know that he comes from Missouri.

I have always made art with some kind of initial idea or inspiration yet it tends to be a personal release without thinking of how an audience will read it. My initial art form was in the performing arts and I expressed myself through the characters in plays, through poetry readings and through singing in a band. Even back then I did not take too much time thinking about the meaning or purpose behind my performance. There is an immediate response and communication between the performer and the audience which can add or subtract from the experience. I want to make art that will make an impression on the viewer. I want my art to be memorable and cause the viewer to have a heuristic experience.