If we are to go beyond the craft school of art – a pretty watercolour of flowers, perhaps or a yacht heeling to the wind in bold acrylics – then it seems to me that the artist must aim to create something beyond the physical. They must aim to use the mind of the viewer as a canvas to craft a feeling, a concept, an idea that is new and unexpected.

Plato does this with words. Although the dialogue might have events of drama, humour, conflict, the true value of the work is not entertainment but the revelation to the reader that they have discovered something new within themselves. Indeed, not just new, but enlightening, game-changing, surprising, and valuable.

When the medium is not quite so loaded with meaning as words on paper, but is lines of ink, brushstrokes of colour and texture, arrangements of shapes and spaces, the hunt for meaning and value is possibly even more exciting. What did the artist intend to communicate? Is it banal or innovative? Trite or deep in meaning? Satisfying or frustrating.

The Kimbell Art Museum is one of my favourites. Its small collection is superbly chosen, each item having its place on merit and uniqueness. There are two Mondrians, for example, both quite different to each other, but linked by a theme of development of the artist’s eye, mind, and intent.

The whole – and I include the building itself – is a rich experience. I never fail to emerge without feeling uplifted and inspired, my eyes open, my mind racing.

The art you describe in your piece above does not seem to be like that. The viewer is led along paths that are not unfamiliar, thoughts arise that carry nothing new, the only message is that this is a slap in the face of pretty, crafty, skilful, conventional art.

That pales after a while.

Britni