I just don't get art!

Marcel DuChamp - Nude Descending Staircase. -
DuChamp was attempting to create the idea of movement
and tried to capture every possible image of a person going down a staircase.

Been talking to people a lot these days about my work and what I do. The number one statement I hear from people is : "I just don't get art!"

First off let me say that I am not an expert on art. I know what I know simply because I have a curiosity about what was going on in the artist's mind during the creation process.
When an artist sits down to do any creative work, its like solving a puzzle in their heads. They have a vague idea what the end result should look like- but still have to work out the solution to get there. Sometimes they may take a painting, and work a separate painting/art piece experimenting with pulling a line here, changing a colour there etc

Here's a mind blowing thing- as an artist, I don't always "get" art either. I may understand what the artist is TRYING to do, but that does not always mean they succeed for me. Take for example Picasso and Van Gogh, and I choose those two because most people are familiar with these artists. The vibrancy of the Van Gogh paintings with their clashy colours is what draws me to them. And I appreciate the layout of Picasso's cubist paintings because he was trying to deconstruct the image and lay it flat on the canvas.....kinda like taking an animal skin and flattening it, head and all. (No animals are EVER injured in the writing of this blog!)  

Picasso - The Weeping Woman

Jackson Pollock Number 8

Jackson Pollock....I don't get it....I mean I hear the explanation and understand the process, but I do not appreciate the final image. It does not excite me at all.
....and that what you should keep in mind. You are an individual with your own history and experiences. You will be drawn to some images over others...you will favour some colour combinations over others. Don't let any one make you feel "ignorant" because you don't "get" a particular style of art.

Even artist know that not everyone will appreciate what they produce. Art is very subjective thing. Sure an art history student can tell you all the rationale, and what the artist was hoping to achieve and what was going on in the artists mind.....but they may not like the painting they are discussing, they wouldn't buy it for themselves.

Van Gogh Starry Night

You don't always have to "get" art. The fact that you are reading this blog means that art interests you for some reason. Just go with what you like. If you are moved to find out more about what you like, more about what the artist was trying to do, by all means go from there. And if you are just happy with admiring this artwork, by all means, enjoy staring at it all you want.