Does art always have to be pretty to appeal?
Afew years ago, I visited an art exhibition with a friend, who after a speedy survey of the paintings, declared them too disturbing to bear. ‘‘Yuck! Who on earth would call this art?’’ she asked rhetorically, in a voice filled with disgust, as she walked out of the exhibition, lest her fragile good mood be affected by ugly art.
Titled the exhibition was held at the Saatchi Galley in London and showcased 17 contemporary artists. One work, in particular, caught my attention almost immediately.
was a huge child-like painting by the late Austrian-based Georgian artist Tamuna Sirbiladze.
The work depicted a lanky naked woman projectile vomiting into a bathroom sink. Going by the positioning of some red scribbles, the woman was also menstruating. The painting was, without a doubt, not pretty. But it captivated me straight away, and I didn’t know why – not at the time of that first visit anyway.
I must say the briefness of our visit to the exhibition did disappoint me, but I completely understood the reason for it. My friend, who was also visiting London, lives in a grey concrete jungle that is Iran’s capital, Tehran. The city of nearly nine million is vibrant and safe, but is also filled with the stresses and tensions of postrevolutionary life.
Because of this, my friend’s natural tendency is to constantly seek the quiet gratification of nature. Be it in reality or in art, she yearns for the soothing blue of water, the calming green of grass and the brilliance of colour that exists in flowers. No wonder then that she adored the
exhibition at The Royal Academy. She was not the only one. The exhibition was a sellout. It seemed the whole of London and beyond was longing to see the garden with fresh eyes, and 120 pretty artworks bathed the galleries in light and colour. It was truly a privilege to see these paintings up close. But did they captivate me as much as the naked, vomiting woman? No, they did not.
Living in the Garden City of Christchurch, close to the stunning Mona Vale and Hagley Park, my eyes are spoiled with spectacular beauty and seasonal offerings of nature almost every day. Of course, I can’t help but admire the artistry of brilliant Impressionist masters but, unlike my friend, my interest in art is not so much to soothe my soul but to invigorate my mind and senses. So I went back to revisit the naked vomiting woman – this time, on my own.
What a surprise. Two young children, around 6 or 7, siblings maybe, with their necks craned high, were looking at the painting and giggling with excitement. Clearly, to them, there was nothing offensive about the brightly coloured work. I looked at the woman’s face closely and saw no sign of real suffering. The children had got it right. There was nothing disturbing about the painting. It only depicted bodily functions. The painting had appeared jarring at first, only because of its marked departure from how women are normally depicted in art and media: beautiful and alluring.
Think of the depiction of the goddess Venus in Diego Velazquez’s c. 1647-51, held at the National Gallery in London. In this well-known painting, Venus is lying on a bed in a sensual pose, looking into a mirror held by her son, Cupid. The same tradition of perfectly posed, highly polished images of women have continued to this day. We see it in glossy magazines, all over Instagram and in our art galleries too.
Don’t get me wrong, I love the beauty and sensuality of Venus as depicted by Velasquez, but I also see beauty in the unpolished truth presented by the likes of Sirbiladze and our own early feminist painter, Jacqueline Fahey, with her honest depictions of domestic scenes. It truly was wonderful that the two young children, with their as yet unpolluted minds, could respond so joyfully to the naked simplicity of
To me, there is no such a thing as ugly or bad art, there is only art that one doesn’t like. I do think, though, that we mostly seek in art what we lack within ourselves (think of Marie Antoinette’s desire for simplicity while living in the opulence of the Palace of Versailles).
With the world grappling with tragedy and industrial destruction, we tend to gravitate towards pretty art to tranquilise our anxieties. But to lead a meaningful life, we also need a sense of hope and purpose in life. Luckily, there are some artists, among them the late Ralph Hotere, whose art delivers both beauty and meaning. If you get a chance, go and see the free exhibition at the Christchurch Art Gallery. You’ll be bedazzled by the beauty of meaning and purpose embedded in Hotere’s stunning artworks.
To me, there is no such a thing as ugly or bad art, there is only art that one doesn’t like.