Keeping an open mind

Museum (1/80th at f/3.2, 16mm at ISO 800)

A few days ago I found myself visiting The Art Institute of Chicago.  No, it wasn’t the result of some sort of bet.   It has been a while since I visited the museum and, as always, it was very enjoyable.  It’s taken me many years to truly understand the phrase “art is in the eye of the beholder.”   I think being a photographer has not only helped me tolerate, but more importantly, appreciate and accept many different forms of art.    Whether it be a Jackson Pollock painting or a Pete Turner print, I find myself appreciating the effort and vision put forth by the artist.   I don’t shoot a ton of macro photography.   That’s not to say I don’t like it;  it’s just not something I seek out.  However, with that said, I truly can appreciate the effort and  attention to detail that’s required to nail a good macro shot.   I think a lot of people that don’t like a particular piece of art simply say “I don’t like it!” without giving it much more thought.    I think the real reward and personal growth comes in the form of identifying,  what you can appreciate about a piece of artwork that just doesn’t float your boat.    To me it’s all about keeping an open mind, being non judgmental, and looking for techniques I can apply to my own work.   Sometimes, you just have to dig a little deeper.

This entry was posted on Thursday, January 14th, 2010 at 7:08 pm. It is filed under General, Inspirational, Philosophy and tagged with art, pete turner. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.