If you're similar to me, perchance you've toured a contemporary art exhibit, observed a canvas featuring a solitary flat shape or an immense sculpture of a utensil, and pondered, how in the world is this considered art? I wager you refrained from voicing this inquiry, apprehensive of seeming unsophisticated. Fortunately for us, journalist Bianca Bosker is unafraid to pose the timeless query — What constitutes art? — and embark on extensive, out-of-place endeavors to uncover the answer. The outcome is her newest publication, "Get the Picture," an immersive plunge into the realm of art and the emotional nourishment art inherently offers.
An art tome likely isn’t the type of publication Science News typically scrutinizes. Yet Bosker employs numerous instruments, including scientific inquiry, to grasp
humanity's innate craving for art.
She embarks on a quest to cultivate what art aficionados term a "discerning Eye," a perceptive knack to differentiate between "quality" and "subpar" art. Her chosen method involves immersing herself among industry insiders. It's no easy feat; the art realm is veiled, exclusive, and critical. Devotees are as fixated on art as they are on preserving an air of exclusivity. Upon infiltrating elite art circles, Bosker uncovers a less-than-flattering reality. The art world often ostracizes those without the means to attend art school or indulge in vanity projects. Many practitioners juggle multiple jobs to make ends meet; countless eventually succumb to burnout. Moreover, a culture of hierarchical bullying prevails.
Despite Bosker's encounters potentially eroding faith in art, she persists in delving deeper until she redeems it, discovering the innate joy that art bestows upon both creators and beholders.
Bosker assumes various roles — gallery assistant, art-fair vendor, studio aide, and museum guard — to scrutinize art from diverse perspectives. Each position offers intriguing insights into the machinations of the art industry, and Bosker's resilience in dealing with challenges is admirable. Her readiness to embrace peculiar situations — such as allowing a performance artist to sit on her face in the name of art — results in a comical exposé of the art world.
While entertaining, the narrative of her escapades delays the book's exploration of art's meaning. However, once it delves into this aspect, science furnishes numerous clues. Some scholars propose that prehistoric humans felt compelled to adorn cave walls to showcase their skills and potential as mates. An anthropologist argues that art served to unite communities for mutual survival.
In contemporary society, art's utility has broadened. Here, too, science aids in comprehension. Bosker introduces readers to neuroaesthetics, a burgeoning field applying neuroscience to study art perception. Researchers have revealed that perception often hinges on belief — a "filter of expectation" in our brains distorts the raw visual input. This filter enables us to overlook certain details and process our surroundings efficiently. Art, Bosker contends, helps remove this filter, allowing us to reexamine the world with fresh wonder. Art also possesses therapeutic qualities, exploited by doctors who prescribe museum visits as treatment. Removing this filter can enhance doctors' diagnostic skills, as evidenced by medical schools incorporating art-based visual literacy courses.
The most captivating aspect of the book is Bosker herself — the narrator, the questioner, the self-proclaimed novice, and, crucially, the reader's companion. Rather than lecturing from a pedestal of authority, Bosker invites readers to witness her evolving understanding of art firsthand. She is witty, self-effacing, and unafraid to denounce snobbery. Reflecting on gallery visits, she quips, "pretension hung in the air like an unacknowledged fart."
Ultimately, readers do not receive a definitive answer to humanity's attraction to art. Instead, Bosker offers her interpretation: Art serves as a conduit for finding beauty and enhancing our appreciation of life. By debunking the notion of an infallible "Eye," Bosker contends that art permeates every aspect of life, awaiting our willingness to be moved by what we perceive. By the book's conclusion, readers will feel compelled to revisit artworks with fresh perspectives.
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