A new book by a Yale academic Paul Bloom and psychologist Susan Gelman "How Pleasure Works: The New Science of Why We Like What We Like" claims to know why we appreciate [or not] contemporary art.
Central to the book's argument is the idea that there is no pure aesthetic judgement. It is what we know about a work of art and what it might say about us that are the crucial factors that inform how we feel about it and our ability to appreciate it.
Bloom and Gelman argue that when looking at painting by Picasso or Matisse, we respond, not just to its use of shape and form, colour and composition, but to the position the artist holds within the history of art and as importantly the context in which we see it.
If the painting is subsequently revealed to be a fake, then we lose our attachment to it, even though the picture remains unchanged. If we see the painting in a car boot sale as opposed to the Tate Modern, our desire to accept the artistry of the picture is diminished. So, the authors conclude, we appreciate the painting only in the context of the story attached to it.
While there may be some merit to their argument, there are also some glaring flaws. How, for instance, do the judges of the Royal Academy Summer Show or any other open submission competition manage to decide on the aesthetics of an image presented to them, when all they have to judge is the image before them?
We have decided to conduct our own experiment into the appreciation of contemporary photography. So why not join us at Jon Spencer's Private View of his Bandstand series and find out first hand from the artist about how he made his images.
Part of this year's London Festival of Architecture programme of exhibitions and events Jon's work is included in the group show "Transparency and the City; Public Spaces or Forgotten Places?"
The Private View will be held on the 21st June 2010 from 6.00-8.30pm at The Gallery, 77 Cowcross Street, EC1M 6EL, nearest tube, Farringdon Road. Show runs until 2nd July.
Book News
Don't forget to take advantage of our special book offer, running for the whole of June. Simply add the word BOOKS into the discount box in the shopping basket and you will receive 10% off the published price of each book purchased.
Signed copies of "China Between" by Polly Braden are now available on Troika Editions. Click on the book cover and you can see some of the exciting images Polly has taken to bring us another side of China. Away from the regimented workers and large scale construction sites Polly has captured something of the real people and their lives.
Chosen by an international jury from over 500 entries, Christine Erhard has been selected to take part in FotoSommer Stuttgart 2010 Award Show, which opens on the 30th July 2010. Christine will be showing work from her new book "Fotografien", now available from Troika Editions.
