Tate Britain class visit

Bridget Riley's Hesitate 1964 (Tate Britain)

This morning the art history class I've been attending met at Tate Britain to take a look at some of art the works we have been studying this term. The era we have been covering is from around the 50's to the 80's, so modern art.

It was good to see the works in the flesh because you can see the colours and textures which never show on photos projected on a wall. But I have to admit that this class has at times not held my attention in the way others have. It is interesting to understand the concept of artists but a lot of it leaves me cold and disinterested. There was all this talk over one painting today (don't ask me who the artist was because I'd lost interest by then!). All this business of 'abstracting down' until you cannot make head nor tail of it - what is the point? Sorry, but this one looked like my kids did in nursery! I enjoy colour and some sort of form, not just blobs and squiggles without form and weird shape or squares of paint (not neat squares either) that mean nothing. I found one artist I did like - Bridget Riley. I enjoyed all her work (see above), the shapes, form, graduated colours, illusion (all art is an illusion anyway). This really appeals to me (possibly my logical mind liking nice regular patterns!)

Francis Bacon's work is very disturbing (even he admits no one buys his work because they like it!) but I've always loved Henry Moore's work (sculpture and painting) and more recently Barbara Hepworth.  David Hockney was the first modern painter I came across when I became interested in art but even some of his early work was not to my liking. There were plenty of these on show which held my interest far more.  I suppose as with other forms of creativeness people have different ideas about what they like and what they don't which is why there is always that question when you look at something you are not sure about.....is it art? There is no answer to that and never will be.