Proven Ways to Start Understanding Art Like a Pro

Even if you didn’t study art history, it doesn’t mean art isn’t for you. My friend doesn’t enjoy going to exhibitions with me because she feels out of place. She doesn’t understand why some artists are famous or what emotions she should feel when looking at a painting. It took a lot of effort to convince her that art has understandable trends and movements that she can learn to expand her horizons. Here’s how to understand art like a pro.

Act Systematically

There’s a simple three-step method that art experts use:

Look Closely
We look at paintings in a museum, but usually, we spend less than two seconds on each. Look at the details: is it a photograph, an installation, or a painting? What is it made of? Does it create a sense of roughness or lightness? Does it shine or glow? An artist usually pays close attention to all the details of the material and style, so this is directly related to the overall feeling and mood of the work.
Feel
Interpret what you see. Analyze the symbols and details of the work. Pay attention to the feelings you experience and the energy you feel. Don’t compare the painting to your works or those of your acquaintances; immerse yourself in the depicted scene.
Think
Reflect on what you have observed and determine the possible meanings of the work. The interpretation process is ambiguous, and there are no 100% correct answers. Here, knowledge of the context helps. The more works of this genre or even the same artist you have seen, the easier it is to understand. Some information may be obvious from the title and year of the work, but sometimes it’s worth finding out more, such as how much time was spent on creation or where exactly the painting was painted.

Don’t worry if something is unclear. Chefs cook food from raw ingredients so it can be eaten, and art experts help figure out how to consume art. Feed your knowledge.

Pay Attention

Pay attention to the text panels at the exhibition itself. Look at which country the artist is from, where they were born, and who inspired them.

If you have a friend who is well-versed in art, be sure to take them to the exhibition! I’m sure they will have a couple of great stories about the material presented to you.

If you want to know more, you can subscribe to several Telegram channels that provide brief reviews of interesting works.

For example, the channel “Unclear Art” (@whatamess) regularly reviews contemporary art, wild performances, and extravagant installations. The channel “Learning About Artists” (@learn_painters) will daily delight you with analyses of several works by one artist, accompanied by historical facts and legends. And the channel “Painting Place” (@paintingsplace) will likely shock you with the prices for which certain famous paintings were bought at auctions like Sotheby’s. These careless brushstrokes were bought for $80 million! Where is the world heading.

Learn Gradually

The Khan Academy has extensive courses on art theory, but they are mainly in English. However, some interesting lectures have been translated into Russian, answering specific questions: “Why are Andy Warhol’s soup cans art? Why is the “Girl with Peaches” so important? What is the backstory of Wood’s “American Gothic”? The videos last only 10 minutes and do not dwell on how elitist it is or how genius the author is.

Also, a TED lecture would be great for breakfast. You should enjoy Luke Syson’s story about how he learned to love “useless” art. When you hear his stories about how everyone admires an ugly vase, and he doesn’t understand what’s so amazing about it, you think: Oh, that’s exactly me!

Approach Thoroughly

If you feel that this is not enough, you can take a free online course on art history. Universarium has launched a program to study Russian art of the 20th century. Everything is detailed: origins, themes, genres, and methods. To make it easier to remember, information about paintings is interspersed with historical events that were happening in the country at that time. The authors also cover how to properly criticize works and write reviews.

Try It Yourself

To learn to enjoy food, you need more than just reading cookbooks. Sometimes it seems that some works are easy to repeat. But you won’t know for sure until you try. Some works are hard to approach. The book “Steal Like an Artist” by Austin Kleon can help. His famous manifesto helps beginner artists, writers, and even sculptors discover their creative qualities and bring creativity to any work. It has only 10 chapters, but each contains valuable advice. The author recommends experiencing numerous illustrations, analyzing them, and choosing the most pleasant ideas to create your own works.

Steal everything that resonates with your imagination or fuels it. Greedily absorb all impressions and phenomena: old and new films, music, books, paintings, photographs, poems, dreams, random conversations, architecture, bridges, street signs, trees, clouds, streams of water, light, and shadows. And steal only what finds a living response in your soul. If you do this, your work—your theft—will be original.
—Jim Jarmusch, film director

Show Off Your Knowledge

Why become an expert in a field if you can’t boast about it? Art markets, auction houses, and creative lofts regularly hold open and free lectures. Find friends, discuss what you’ve seen, debate! You’ll quickly get a taste for visiting exhibitions and leisurely disputes over a glass of champagne.