Joe Robinson, author of the recent book “Don’t Miss Your Life” talks about meetings he had while writing this article: “Play isn’t a character defect; it’s the builder of character, developing persistence, competence, mastery and social skills that take us beyond perceived limitations. It was there in the faces and confidence of stunt-kite fliers, salsa dancers and badminton enthusiasts I met along the road to my new book on the power of participant experience.”

Dylan Kendall founder of City LA: pLAy Smart, a children’s museum in Los Angeles, connects play to aesthetics.  She says in her article, “interwoven into art-based aesthetic experiences is the chance to play. And I believe play is a key component of human development — one with limitless powers to influence and affect us.

The purpose of art diary is to put you on a path to unlocking the powerful playful quality of art.  By playful I am suggesting that art is non linear, non narrative and can be experienced in toto or broken apart and reassembled into a meaningful revelation or just a pleasant memory – one you can call on when you would love a break in your busy work day.

In order to get to the point where you can just be with art try taking the simple steps that the art diary suggests.  For me, and those that have tried it, they have received “AHA’s” from the first experience.  Let’s say you have done 2–3 art diaries and you now see that there are multiple meanings to modern art, and you accept that your experience is the most important experience.  Just like writing down the steps of a complicated procedure or notes for a presentation to make sure you get your head in order, picture the suggested steps of the art diary as a scaffold, built to take you around to another side of the art experience.  Once you have a new comfort level looking at art that your experience is what matters, the scaffolding can be dismantled, or not – it is your call.

Do an art diary right now.  Go play!

Broadway Boogie Woogie; Piet Mondrian; MOMA NYC

Pablo Picasso’s ‘Les Demoiselles d’Avignon’ (1907) — MoMA, New York

]]> http://artdiary.net/picasso-demoiselles/feed/ 2 http://artdiary.net/rousseau-the-jungle/ http://artdiary.net/rousseau-the-jungle/#comments Sun, 02 Jan 2011 09:22:02 +0000 LaurenA http://artdiary.net/?p=64

Henri Rousseau, The Jungle — National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC

“Okay, the stern gray colors made me think of totalitarianism, which made me think of the Nazis, which made me think of how some people invoke the Holocaust inappropriately to win arguments, which made me think of moral inequivalencies, which made me think about how when you’re at one of those gas stations attached to a convenience store, and there’s always some guy with a big SUV who starts to pump gas and then goes inside. So, I kept thinking how easy it would be to drive up real close, take the hose from his car and fill the tank with it while he is still inside getting his Ho Hos, and then put the hose back in his car and drive away. His car is so big, and gas is so expensive, he probably wouldn’t even notice the loss. And I was thinking this is obviously unethical — BUT — would it still be unethical if the guy was … Adolf Hitler? I didn’t want to keep thinking about this, so I decided to give this piece third place.”

They applauded!

As a professional art critic, I can assure you there’s a lesson in all this. Truth is art.

Gene was able to riff this entire muse on totalitarianism and the current economic crisis from just “the stern gray colors”.  Imagine what he could have come up with had he examined and included another color or shape for that matter. I   see a book in the works! But that is the whole point 0f the Art Diary.  Sometimes you can come up with a new revelation just by looking at stern gray colors.  Another time they remain as stern gray colors.  For another person the stern gray color blends into the soft yellow shape and it links to a memory from her college romance.  The important part is to spend time, at least 5 minutes and write down what is going through your head.

I don’t have much to say about how he began his judging experience by throwing away most of the work based on his low bar of whether he could do the same.  All I will say, and leave the longer discussion for another time, is that until he saw the art he said he could do all by himself he hadn’t thought of it.  Gene fell into the trap of placing the craft of art making over the transformational power of an original work.  Common mistake Gene and I’ll give you a pass so you could churn out another column by taking your poke at art.

Frank Stella, Atvatabar, 1996, lithograph

Owl, 1980 by Julian Schnabel – Image courtesy of LAMOCA

Art is an inspiration engine, spitting off creative exhaust at a rate too fast to capture with your eyes alone. Bring pencil and paper when you get in front of art. Then become a reporter and write down whatever the art is telling you. A few examples of my art diaries are found elsewhere on artdiary.net Try a few of your own with art using these links before your next trip to the museum, gallery or studio.