Fuck the Mona Lisa or, Yes, Art is for You Too
In case you hadn't heard, I've recently made the big move to London to undertake a Masters degree (which has been a great excuse to move to London in the first place, which is far more fun than studying at home would have been). Since moving, I've met a lot of people: some friends, some acquaintances, some enemies. Consistent amongst those friends, despite their disparate study interests and hobbies, is that they all want me to take them to art galleries and "teach them how to art". They do not, actually, want me to teach them how to engage with art, but what the factually accurate history of art is in relation to a particular canon of artistic objects. Anyone who has had the opportunity to study the arts in a critical context, however, knows that the historical significance of art is only part of the education, and that a far more significant component of enjoying art is a subjective approach based on personal experience, likes, and dislikes. Learning to sa...