You will never know if you like or don’t like certain types of art if you don’t try to enjoy them. You can think of going to see new kinds of art as exposing yourself to new experiences, rather than just seeing art. Be in touch with your own emotions as you view art. Do you feel excited? Calm? Anxious? Confused? Art can evoke a wide range of emotional responses, so do your best to be conscious of yours. Part of the fun of viewing art is that you get to come up with your own story about it! Art is very subjective, so even if your interpretation of a piece isn’t exactly what the artist intended, it’s okay! There is often not just one right answer. What’s important is that you make a genuine effort to extract meaning from their work.  Because every person has a different set of unique experiences, it’s valid for every person who views a piece of art to walk away with a different understanding of it. This can lead to interesting discussions! Ask the person next to you what they think.  It’s also completely fine to offer no interpretation at all, and instead just enjoy the art for its physical properties. Abstract art — art that doesn’t look like anything in the real world — can be a little harder to appreciate because the message or emotion that the artist is trying to convey is not always immediately clear. To enjoy abstract art, think about what grabs your eye first in the piece, and why the artist might have wanted your attention to go there. Abstract art can be fun because it’s like a puzzle. You really have to give it some thought to come up with a potential meaning for it. Remember, your meaning doesn’t have to be necessarily correct! As you view more and more art, you will start to develop an understanding of what you like and dislike in a piece of art. This can help you seek out similar artists. You don’t have to love everything that you see! Artist statements or descriptive brochures can sometimes be misleading, so if you unexpectedly don’t like a certain type of art, that’s fine.

Summary:
Keep an open mind. Evaluate how a work of art makes you feel. Offer your own interpretation of what the art means. Applaud the ambiguity of abstraction. Learn what you like and don’t like.