‘What Do I Think About Art’

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by Arundhati Basu

In between rushing to stores, gobbling up pizzas and giant cookies, while setting up our new apartment to the tune of endless cups of Lady Grey tea, I came upon this cutesy tag courtesy Angela. Interesting and innovative. An art tag! But I had to do it asap before I lost steam and let it slip to the bottom of the pile. Thank you Angela, I had fun going about this tag.

Here I introduce you to the “What Do I Think About Art” tag.

Rules:

  • Copy the piece of art given to you by the nominator into the post and these rules
  • Analyse the piece of art given to you and what it means to you (you can be as abstract as you like)
  • Nominate five people to analyse another piece of art of your choice

The lead photo is the one that I was tagged to analyse by Angela.

It is an example of going green on a whole different level, eh. You see the cityscape in the backdrop – ’tis the picture of barrenness, a leaf or two sticking out here and there. Maybe more than a leaf, but hey, I am permitted a smidgen of exaggeration surely by dint of the fact that if art allows us to stretch our imagination we can let it seep into into our words too.

Okay, so we all need green. More so in the cities.

How do we go about it? We grow a green bush on our head. That is the best way of getting your own personal bit of green on this planet where world leaders with exceptional vision denounce the concept of global warming as a weapon for hoodwinking the masses.

Right, so our man is a self-sufficient personality. But watch out for that brush in his hand. Could it be that there might be an itchy witchy feeling creeping up on him and that all is not as well as Mister Smug (just look at his expression) might claim to all and sundry?

“The streets are empty and here’s my chance to go berserk,” he sniggers as he sneaks the brush into his green pate. He is about to have a real good go at it just like a scratchy sheep makes a go of it against a fence or a highland cow rubs its massive horns against dry stone walls. You get the picture, I suppose. I shall let it rest there.

I would love to hear your take on the piece too.

Deconstructing art takes me back to the beginning of my feature reporting days when I used to be bundled off to art exhibitions to interview artists. Artists are the kind of professionals I never felt uncomfortable around. It was easy to feel gauche around fashion designers, hoity-toity actors and egoistic sport stars, but with artists, no way. It seemed to me, during those long conversations, that they were suspended in the cloudy realms of their heads from where they need time to wade out at ease. So yes, I could take my time.

Art is also supposed to be individual. You can imagine my delight that there was no censure. That I could sit there and come up with bizarre interpretations. Thus you have the logic behind my view of Angela’s street art piece.

Below is my piece for you. I clicked it in Jersey City downtown the other day. Would you care to analyse it? If yes, you can do a post on it, or just leave your interpretation in the comments section. Going beyond the stated number, I nominate you all. Humour me?

2017-06-06 02.32.15 1.jpg

 

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Arundhati Basu

The great affair in my life is to travel. I count myself immensely fortunate that my partner shares this passion. We are a team that likes to spend time planning and plotting out places to go. Destination check, flights check, accommodation check, cheesy grins check. Off we go.

44 thoughts on “‘What Do I Think About Art’”

    1. Thank you Kate. It is interesting to see how people think of the same art piece but with different twists to their interpretations. This was actually a different kinda tag for me to take part in. Please consider yourself tagged if you feel like participating in it too 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  2. Yay!! I’m glad you did the tag, it’s so much fun to analyse art. Like you said, art is individual, we all see and interpret something different in it. I loved reading your words about the art I picked. He does seems to have a smug or ‘witchy’ air around him 😀

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  3. My Demelza daughter is just about to graduate Liverpool with her Batchelors in Fine Art and my Saskia daughter starts her own Art Degree in September. Therefore, you might understand, I have spent much time analysing the work of others, if only in my head. It’s probably best it stays there ? xx

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    1. Demelza and Saskia are surely going to bring plenty of opportunities your way, Osyth, but it is only fair that you share your interpretations and send my senses into an overdrive. Do you fancy having a go? 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

      2. Which reminds me that I should open up my booty of buttery popcorn this Sunday noon. Enjoy cooking Osyth 🙂 I will really look forward to the deconstruction when you get around to it xx

        Liked by 1 person

  5. Aw I loved reading this – you always give me a little laugh. I love art…but have never EVER been able to make any kind of deductions or interpretations of it xD good luck with the new apartment – very exciting stuff 😀

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    1. Thanks Mia, I am having an awful lot of fun 🙂 I am also terrible at deducing art but I just give it a go nonetheless and reveal my silliness. It is okay to be silly, isn’t it? It takes care of the stresses in life xx

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  6. I wonder if this street art was done in Wynwood, Miami. I’m almost positive that I’ve seen it in person. Anyhow, I love the piece. For me, it represents a couple of things. One, the artist’s ability to create new worlds even in the one in which we are living. It’s just incredible that the artist saw this same wall that everyone else saw and imagined such a striking collaboration.
    Secondly, I feel that the image represents how we can all connect with nature in our way. It is a part of who we are whether we accept it or not. We can’t separate ourselves from it. I also like how black culture is represented here. Growing up, I saw black guys picking their afros on a regular basis, and it’s just not something that we see in mainstream media. Here is a regular activity for many people turned into art. I’m in awe of how art has a way of showing us the beauty in our own existence. I hope this all makes sense; I’m trying to condense my thoughts. This has been for some time one of my favorite pieces of street art because of it’s cleverness, I can’t believe I got to see it here being appreciated! So cool.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. It makes sense oh so beautifully. I am guessing you gave me your deduction of Angela’s piece 🙂 It might be very well from your part of the world. I connect with that bit you say about art showing us the beauty that exists in this world. Do black guys pick on their afros really? I shall keep my eyes peeled for such sights then. I have spotted people with dreadlocks more so often itching their scalps surreptitiously 😉

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      1. I say when I was younger because afros were more in style then. You know black people and our constantly changing styles, lol. Nowadays you won’t see it too often, but my daughter just cut her hair recently and has a little afro which she picks before leaving the house. You’ll see her hair in some upcoming posts. She looks freaking adorable, if I do say so myself. 🙂

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      2. Hahaha cute! I would love to see her afro and I can surely believe the last. Proud mothers are sweet. My mother can be so critical 😛 The other day she took a look at my watsapp profile photo and said, “Surely you look better than that!” Need I say more.

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      3. Haha, my mom just a few hours ago stared at my mouth and said, “You must’ve been to the dentist thank goodness. Your teeth look way better.” I got them whitened like 2-3 months ago. So yeah, mine says stuff like that all the time too.

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  7. Wonderful! You photographed Mata Ruda’s mural! He’s such an amazing artist and the mural definitely reflects his origins in Venezuela. The well-worn face of the anonymous man may show that he has worked hard his whole life and the hummingbird usually symbolizes a messenger of life or death in the Spanish culture. Whether he is contemplating a lived life or his impending death is up to the viewer. Anyways, that’s only my opinion – Neek.

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    1. Your interpretation makes perfect sense. You explain the connotations and put it in perspective so well. I shall read up on Mata Ruda. This is a part of increasing my knowhow, of this melting pot of cultures that America is, as I start walking the streets of Jersey City. Thank you for indulging me and opening my eyes to the artist too xx

      Liked by 1 person

      1. I used to feel that in my Literature classes. “The author called her x because it means pure” – Are you sure, maybe he just liked the name…

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  11. Dear Dippy-Dotty Girl, or whatever your name is, I am none other than Detective Tony Pastry of New Scotland Yard. My informant has told me that you are the Red Herring, the notorious art thief. And my informant is very reliable: He recently sold me the Moon for £500 and a pint of mild. He’s very big in NASA, you know. He has also informed me that the Pink Panther films are not fictitious but are in fact a series of documentaries about a real Inspector Clouseau. Since then I have modelled my entire career on Clouseau’s achievements and it has not been easy, I can tell you. If you do not immediately hand yourself in at the nearest police station, I will have to come and put you under arrest.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Oh hello Detective Pastry, I think my organisation (I should not even mention that they are one) has given me the dossier on you. I am sorry about what’s going to happen. I pray that you find your way to a safe cabin in the woods of Norway rather than be the prey.

      Do not kindly send me a postcard for I am still part of the operation. I swear upon the sacred world of blogging to not let the cat out of the bag.

      Best wishes
      Dippy-Dotty Girl

      Liked by 1 person

    1. Listen bb 😉 (be it on your head for teaching me a new acronym), I was just banging words into the void. I do tend to speak a lot of random stuff but art does not judge, so I have taken advantage of that xx

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