As somebody who, until recently, had a very limited knowledge of art, I thought I'd start expanding my horizons ahead of the New Year in time for New Year's Resolutions. I've always been interested in artwork, but I wouldn't say I've really 'got' or 'understood' modern art in the past, and school trips to the Tate Modern always seemed a little wasted and pointless to me, as I'd spend half of the trip complaining and grumbling to my friends that 'I could have done that!' and that I wanted to go to the Tate Britain or the National Gallery instead. With that in mind, I thought I'd have another dip of my toes in the pool of art a few years on, and visited the Saatchi gallery on a cold and windy Monday afternoon, which was particularly easy given that I now live just a short walk away.
I had initially decided to make a conscious effort to get something from each piece, and told myself that if I really thought about it I may just see what each individual artist was attempting to portray in his or her work. This proved to be unnecessary, however, because as it turns out, my (arguably) more mature mind appreciated the concept of interpretation in a way that my 14 year old self hadn't.
Initially, I was struck by the minimal arrangements of each gallery, and although I was unsure what to expect, it definitely wasn't such a wide variety of media and concepts! I was enthralled by the range of different pieces, and found myself interpreting each piece in my own mind before reading the plaques and seeing just how different my view was from that of the artist, and I even took the opportunity to pose for a few photos as well!
Much to my surprise, I was seriously disappointed when I had visited each gallery, and picked up a few postcards of my favourites to stick onto my pinboard at uni (oooh, artsy kid) before leaving.
Such a well spent day has changed my opinion of modern art, and I now value it every bit as highly as any other form of artwork, with a newfound regard for everything I look at. If there is anything that I have taken from this experience in particular, it's that I really can't base my opinion of something on the views of my past self. People change, and their views with them, and it's always worth trying out something new. I think I'll try to broaden my horizons as much as possible within the New Year (and see how long that resolution lasts, too!)
