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Art lovers had the opportunity to hone their skills when evaluating art during the Art See program at the Coutts Memorial Museum of Art Saturday afternoon.
Sherry Hermreck, USD 490 elementary art teacher, led the session, which used “The Red Ribbon Dance” by Mary Binford Miller to study.
She said one of her favorite quotes was “Once you had to be a genius to make a work of art. Now you have to be a genius to understand a work of art.”
It was her goal to help people learn how to understand and get more out of a work of art.
“The process is a link between the artist and viewer,” she said. “The best way to get past a snap judgment is to have a knowledge basis.
“There is a system to go through to look at art.”
There are four parts to that system: respond, describe, interpret and evaluate.
When responding, Hermreck said there are things one should do when glancing at a painting.
“What is your first impression?” she said. “That is the easy question.
“Are you interested in studying it closer?”
Another question to consider is what it means.
“You don’t have to get it every time,” she said.
There are several factors that influence one’s response, including social attributes, cultural views, perceptual skills, knowledge of symbols, personal experience, historical significance and relationship to real life.
The second part, describe, can begin with something as simple as reading the tag with the painting to see who the artist was and what the title is.
But it also includes line, shape, color, texture, space and value.
“Things change on just the drop of a dime in a picture,” she said, explaining that a simple change can completely change a painting.
When interpreting, Hermreck explained that art should tell a story.
“What’s the story behind the painting?” she asked.
When considering this, a person should ask who, what, when, where and why.
To conclude the program, Hermreck handed out questions to the audience to answer about the sample painting. These included such things as: how much is it worth, is it a masterpiece, what do you like most about it, what don’t you like about it, how would you change this artwork, how long did it take to make, what emotion or mood does it evoke, do you think other people would like this painting, how would you describe the painting for someone who could not see it and what question would you ask the artist if he or she were here today.
“Basically, that’s the whole thing about interpreting,” Hermreck said. “You’ve got to take some time to evaluate.”
Art lovers had the opportunity to hone their skills when evaluating art during the Art See program at the Coutts Memorial Museum of Art Saturday afternoon.
Sherry Hermreck, USD 490 elementary art teacher, led the session, which used “The Red Ribbon Dance” by Mary Binford Miller to study.
She said one of her favorite quotes was “Once you had to be a genius to make a work of art. Now you have to be a genius to understand a work of art.”
It was her goal to help people learn how to understand and get more out of a work of art.
“The process is a link between the artist and viewer,” she said. “The best way to get past a snap judgment is to have a knowledge basis.
“There is a system to go through to look at art.”
There are four parts to that system: respond, describe, interpret and evaluate.
When responding, Hermreck said there are things one should do when glancing at a painting.
“What is your first impression?” she said. “That is the easy question.
“Are you interested in studying it closer?”
Another question to consider is what it means.
“You don’t have to get it every time,” she said.
There are several factors that influence one’s response, including social attributes, cultural views, perceptual skills, knowledge of symbols, personal experience, historical significance and relationship to real life.
The second part, describe, can begin with something as simple as reading the tag with the painting to see who the artist was and what the title is.
But it also includes line, shape, color, texture, space and value.
“Things change on just the drop of a dime in a picture,” she said, explaining that a simple change can completely change a painting.
When interpreting, Hermreck explained that art should tell a story.
“What’s the story behind the painting?” she asked.
When considering this, a person should ask who, what, when, where and why.
To conclude the program, Hermreck handed out questions to the audience to answer about the sample painting. These included such things as: how much is it worth, is it a masterpiece, what do you like most about it, what don’t you like about it, how would you change this artwork, how long did it take to make, what emotion or mood does it evoke, do you think other people would like this painting, how would you describe the painting for someone who could not see it and what question would you ask the artist if he or she were here today.
“Basically, that’s the whole thing about interpreting,” Hermreck said. “You’ve got to take some time to evaluate.”
