To ask you how I can educate myself about art??

[ComingUpTrumps]

Hi everyone!

Sorry, yet again a rubbish AIBU (a bit of a running theme from me!)

I've just been to the National Gallery (I hardly ever go, which is a shame as it's free and amazing!) and thought I'd really like to know more about art.

There are some artists I really like in particular - Van Gogh, Breughel, Gauguin, Rembrandt, Cézanne, Renoir, Vermeer, Monet, Italian religious paintings from the Renaissance (probably the usual suspects! ) and I particularly like still life paintings with food - but I would love to find out much more.

I woud love to be able to say explain why I like paintings instead of sounding wishy-washy and non-commital and just saying something vague about the colours.

What are your favourite paintings? Who are your favourite artists? And what do you love and know about art?

And AIBU?

I love the theory behind art - the different ways it's been interpreted and used over time. From Italian renaissance paintings to pop art, If you like thinking about the social and political background of what you're looking at it opens up a whole new world. 'Critical terms for art history' is a good book as is 'art theory-a very short introduction' and 'art history: a critical introductory to its methods'.

There are a couple of BBC thinking allowed podcasts on art theory which are well worth a listen - especially the ones on Foucault and on Walter Benjamin. Really interesting stuff

(Did art history degree, am halfway through art history masters degree and am wrestling with PhD proposal - it's addictive, be warned )

Bookmarking for the book recommendations .Need art holiday reads .

Myself and dd watched a documentary last week on van gogh. Then we fell down a worm hole listening to starry starry night. We where both crying. Great tune!

You definitely have to read Gombrich! The Story of Art, as recommended above, and I also recommend Art and Illustration: A Study in the Psychology of Pictorial Representation (which I had delivered today, was £5 secondhand on Amazon Prime) which is really interesting and looks and questions style.

A good starting point may be the Reith Lectures Grayson Perry done. They're also available in printed book and audio book form under the title Playing to the Gallery. I defy anyone to not like Grayson!!

Also, What is Art? ,b y Tolstoy is interesting

The Art Book is awesome and will get you searching out more artists.

Definitely read biographies. Van Gogh used to write to his brother about his art and talked about specific paintings and why he did what he did with them.

When you start questioning what art is your perceptions can really change.

Ooh yes. Also AS Byatt wrote a series of short stories inspired by Matisse

• echo the addiction warning !

Ways of Seeing by Berger is another great art book.

Ooh, also grab yourself a copy of Tates dictionary of art terms, or whatever it's called. It's on my bookcase but I can't be bothered to move!

Another for take the Gombrich with a bit of a pinch of salt. At uni they told us to bin it! As it is rather general, a lot of it had to be unlearnt. Evening course, gallery open days. Some of the galleries do fab evening lectures. learn what you like. There are so many genres, and exploring each one is a wonder in its self. There is a social history in art, politics, sociology, philosophy - it's pretty awesome. Personally my favourites are Georgia O'Keefe and Monet (may not be cool - but both were amazing ground breakers in their own ways - and I like their paintings).

Yay thank you so much everyone for your replies and enthusiasm! :) I'll reply to all properly tomorrow - just wanted to say thank you very much for all of your help so far!

And if anyone has any further ideas of suggestions (or wants to place-mark!) feel free to join! :)

*idea or suggestions

Watch this film about Turner
www.imdb.com/title/tt2473794/

I managed to watch it one evening and next went to see his exhibition, doing both made big impression on me. I can now spot Turner's paintings (and my knowledge of art is very patchy). Yo ucan see his paintings in Tate Britain.

have look at websites of various museums, they often have many paintings and sculptures online. For instance www.moma.org/collection/
"Our evolving collection contains almost 200,000 works of modern and contemporary art. More than 74,000 works are currently available online."

You can always look at Uni websites for art history as lots have reading lists online by reference to particular modules or periods. Think about what period you like and go from there. This is my area and I'll happily recommend books/ sources if you message me.

Tbh, I wouldn't bother reading much. There is a risk of bring trapped into cultivating the"right" short of taste. Just read up on the artists you like best, if you want to, and see what direction you had in.

Fwiw my favourite artist is Marc Chagall because I like the dreamyness. I also like Klimt although some of his stuff is a bit rude.

I enjoy "traditional painting", but there is so much more art to explore !

I agree that there is nothing better than seeing art in real life, rather than on internet or on the tv

I like to enjoy art from worldwide cultures old and new

I like art that makes me think, laugh or enjoy

I like, sculpture, landscape art, photography, glass, architecture, miniature art, something unexpected, printmaking, recycling, painting, new media, pop up, guerilla, art therapy, other cultures

I like the endless and timeless possibilities

I like to compare local art with "art that is supposedly worth millions" !

Tom Lubbock (sadly RIP) is a very good art writer. His 'Great Works', which 'reads' fifty paintings of various periods is great. Laura Cumming, art critic of The Observer, is also good -- her reviews and her book on self-portraits. Lynda Nead, too. Also echoing those who suggest BBC 4. Andrew Graham-Dixon on French art was a recent three-parter, and I think he either he or Waldemar Janusczczack had a series on Dutch art. And Janina Ramirez is co-presenting another three-parter on the art of Barcelona, Amsterdam and St Petersburg. And if you are obsessed with particular artists, read biographies.

I love Edward Hopper's work, there's a great exhibition on at the moment at the Royal Academy 'America after the fall' which has some Hopper's and others - and Hockney at the Tate was great too, still on for another week I think :)

Yes to visiting lots of exhibitions and reading.

Toad Marc Chagall is amazing, love Klimt as well - really like his landscapes - his silver birches

My favourites Kandinsky

And Marc Quinn

I love going to a gallery everywhere I go in the world. They are all so different and offer such a selection, Van Gogh museum in Amsterdam, many modern galleries in Venice and New York, Barcelona has great galleries with Picasso and Dali's work. Sweden has a great gallery, if you love art, just every where you go just pop into a gallery for a relaxing walk round.

If you learn about the symbolism in many works of art they can't be interesting stories as well as just aesthetic. The Ambassadors for example in the National gallery, full of symbolism, amazing.

Joan Miró's Pastorale took my breath away when I saw it In Madrid few months ago

One of the most amazing experiences I ever had was in a tiny little art museum. Some rich guy had left his collection to the city and it was housed off the beaten track in his house. There was me and maybe 2 other visitors.

I sat on the floor in front of one of Monet's waterlilies for about an hour and a half, just absorbing it. Nobody else came into the room the full length I was there.

It's all well and good having the terminology to explain what's going on in a painting but there's nothing to compare to feeling it.

Nice thread, will save it for all the advice. I remember visiting galleries when young and feeling quite blown away. One of the paintings I was really affected by was The execution of Lady Jane Grey.

Great thread with some really useful recommendations.

Antimatter - Miro is also in my top 5 favorite artists of all time.