Why you NEED to visit an art museum

Art museums have never been more popular but the question of what they’re really for remains pertinent.

FURTHER READING

“Things seem to be going really well with the institution of the art museum. All the big cities have one, new ones are popping up constantly and the lines to get into blockbuster shows can snake around the block.

But despite the buzz, museums are arguably not doing as much for us as they might; their whole purpose and function in modern society has been left oddly rather unexplored. Many of us show up at these museums more out of guilt than genuine pleasure. The prestige of art – as opposed to any spontaneous enthusiasm – is what seems to keep a sizeable share of people coming through the doors. And a lot of the more recent art on display can be deeply puzzling to behold – even if we don’t generally reveal our confusion for fear of seeming foolish...”

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CREDITS

Mad Adam

[isaacliu]

I do somewhat agree with this video: I really hate it when the people with me want to rush through a museum without even stopping to think or admire

[cm]

The Art Gallery of South Australia does something like this, they arrange the rooms by concept, lust, death etc. It's very effective and it's free to enter if your in that neck of the woods

[isaacliu]

the problem with categorizing by feeling though is of course that said feelings are subjective and the same work obviously could make various people feel differently

[wolfgangromine]

Sometimes I feel like the one of the only people that actually enjoys going to art museums.

[qaedtgh]

I love how the layout for the proposed art museum is organized into "anger" "despair" "confusion" "loneliness" and "anxiety". That pretty much sums up the totality of experiences in life.

[bookdream]

I'm not at all an art museum person, but I really like this idea and if museums were like this, I might actually want to go. To go to a museum and take in the emotional themes.

[TerenceMichaelReeves]

Sorry, no, I disagree. While your previous video was a superb analysis of modern self-portraiture techniques (The Dick Pic - not to be confused with The Diptych ;) ) this one seems short-sighted. Art is not defined by its utility. What qualifies a work of art is not its therapeutic value. This may be one of Art's motivations, but is not and should not be considered its sole nor privileged purpose.

One criticism of the public art institution is in the curation of major exhibitions emphasizing The Spectacle beyond the academic value of the show. On the other end, there is often criticism that works or exhibits are opaque, obtuse, and difficult for the public to understand. An understanding of any given work or show may require additional research beyond that which the gallery spoon-feeds its audience - and that's okay! Art exists to incite and to disturb - not solely to soothe or bolster the ego.

I'll give you credit. You do express the art-value of works which challenge authority and provide cultural critique. It must be remembered that these will seldom appear in the institution during their time due to the fundamental conservativism of The Institution, but The institution is unable to present works which threaten its own funding or existence. This space can reflect on social movements, but the real change happens in street-side gutters.

Artmaking is a form of thought. This is the best explanation I have yet to encounter. An art-ifact, then, is a kind of thought-crystal (bear with me), an idea made tangible with the power to provoke thought in others. Not necessarily the same thought, but a breeding pool of ideas. I feel the phrase "art for art's sake" is frequently misinterpreted as meaning something vain or that art is a self-contained value system which has no bearing on things outside of itself. This is incorrect. Art for art's sake is analogous to the scientific method, which is to say that whether or not it is created with some greater purpose in mind, artmaking advances the narrative of its own accord. Art produced "for art's sake" is akin to the presentation of a hypothesis and an attempt to prove the notion one way or the other. Its concerns are often technical and advancements in this field of art lend themselves to other genres, contributing to a Technology of Expression which helps us to articulate notions (ideas or emotions) more clearly in subsequent works.

A note on chronology: Works are often exhibited in this manner for easy comparison. This helps us to draw conclusions about what life was like at a certain point of time, or conversely, knowing what life was like at a certain time informs our interpretation of a given work. Being able to see what other artists of the day were doing further shows us what the individual may have been grappling with in their creative practice, what the dominant modes were, and how they sought to reinforce or diverge from the status quo. For an interesting look at art from a thematic, rather than a chronological perspective, I recommend "Art and Today" by Eleanor Heartney from Phaidon press.

Edit: the art is therapy site I think reinforces some of my criticisms - notably, the interpretation of The Lace Maker as "a nice person" - largely irrelevant to the context of what is being depicted: a woman doing handicrafts for a little extra cash.

[ursulapebble]

*Concept*:
An art museum for love only. The artwork is presented using the stages of love. For example, art resembling two people (or more, if you will) meeting could be at the entrance. The rule of the museum is to come with someone you love (a partner, a family member, a friend etc.). One goes into the museum before the other and walks to the point (to the art piece) that they think best resembles their relationship with the person waiting. After, the second person does the same thing. At the end, their stopping points are revealed. It'll help people who, perhaps, aren't so good at communicating with each other. Or for the people who want to know their loved ones frank feelings and not something the other person said simply to make them believe they are on the same page.
That's if you want a challenge, but imho people should also be invited to visit on their own or simply - not take part in the challenge.

[Krstify]

One of my opinions about the subject of what is art is that it reflects the current state of the world, for example back in the early BC eras, the first cavemen would often paint on their cave walls either for decoration or for memory, that was the simplest of times and the art reflected that, nothing more nothing less, , a couple hundred years ago art was nothing but realism as at that age time seemed to move slower and there was a "strict set of rules to society" hence there not being any freedom of expression and there was no way you would dare oppose it as you would be labeled as insane and committing blasphemy. Whereas today art has become extremely subjective and "abstract", confused you could say, which reflects society today with all the commotion going on about this and that and being "politically correct" and such that art has yet again reflected that.

[eliseweusthuis]

I personally have a bit of a problem with a lot of modern art. A lot of it just looks like the artist has put hardly any thought, skill or effort into making the artwork and just ended up fooling around a little and do something like spraypaint a canvas purple or something equally pointless. I can't help but feel a bit insulted buying a ticket to a museum and then being confronted by seemingly lazy and uninspired art. Classical artworks can be so beautifully detailed and tell stories with meaningful symbolism but I find it difficult to find anything like that in most modern art.

[G_Rad_Ski]

I am glad I genuinely enjoy art to the degree where I travel the world in order to visit these museums (as well as architecture). I prefer to visit museums alone as worrying about anything outside of my personal experience detracts from the reason I contemplate art/architecture. It's in a sense the same reason I travel around the world to ski various mountains. There is something in seeking the beautiful and sublime for the brief moment that is a timeless reflection that you will carry with you for the rest of your existence.

[thewatcher]

"Art can heal us as religion once did"... Awesome

[michaelmassajr.]

I think School of Life's ideal map of a museum being split into the emotions art elicits is very effective. Lately I've been mapping my own music collections more into what it elicits from me, which has helped me break down the delineations of music genres and made listening so much more meaningful

[victorfalkon]

The amount of serious comments you get on your videos are crazy!
It doesn't feel like youtube at all

[rosesarelike]

If there is anyone in this comment section who just happens to be a millionaire, please make this happen

[DorothyCarterArchive]

They make it sound like nobody likes art museums. I think they're really fun to go to!

[thegreko]

I must insiste in saying that, ,,THIS IS ONE of YOUTUBE's BEST CHANNELS!!!

[Dolshansky]

A lot of people say that watching television is a waste of time, but I get from television what this video described of art museums.

A well written, well-directed shows with great actors widens my perspective as I appreciate the beautiful cinematography.

[willalston]

As I walked through the Louvre what this video is talking about came profoundly on me, that the art is revealing certain inner aspects of artists, societies, humanity. I had a rush of ambition to write a book that would take the reader on a journey through themselves by passing through the galleries. I've set the goal of finishing it by 2018. :)

[ryanlacroix]

This is certainly a good use of art, but should not be the exclusive "use" of art or its only form of display. Art is also profoundly effective at showing us the feelings of others whose experience is not our own and making us see the world in new and different ways. Art should not only help us psychologically but also at times rock our foundations to become more expansive thinkers and people.