Cliff

Hi, I’m Cliff and I’m a sophomore at the Collegiate School as well as a YI Writer. I love art and everything related to art in general. I decided to be a part of YI because I hoped that YI would give me the opportunity to see art in a different light, in a context that is analytical rather than purely visual. Being a YI Writer has allowed me to analyze art works in a different light than if I were to observe that art while working in a gallery.

I began my life surrounded by works of art. When I was young my parents would often force my sister and I to go to museums with them. What I had seen as a burden back then would eventually turn out to be a blessing, and eventually my love for art would blossom. Barely a week goes by when I’m not exposed to artwork, be it in the museums or on the streets.

These experiences have allowed for me to look at art more pensively and more analytically. What had appeared to be so simple to me five years ago, for instance, now has so much more meaning. My desire to learn the stories that artists tell has driven me to insanity (just kidding—my mom tells me I’m completely normal), and I often spend way too much time on the smallest details. This obsessiveness is not just something that appears when I look at artwork, but has become something daily, and has offered me a more detailed scope on what may classify as “artwork.” I often enjoy looking for a deeper meaning in works of art—however, there are always those times when I think to myself that I am going crazy: maybe the artist actually just wanted to paint colorful quadrilateral shapes on a piece of canvas (I’m looking at you Mondrian) and I’m looking way too far into it.

Honestly, I love art of all periods and I think that even though some periods or movements are thought of as requiring more technical skill, all art should be—to a certain degree—valued equally. Each artist, no matter how much work he or she puts into a certain work, has a message to send, and as long as the message is communicated to the audience, his or her task is complete. What intrigues me is how a contemporary conceptual work of art is able to communicate a message as effectively as a more intricate painting of a different time period. Art never ceases to intrigue me. In my spare time I like to play with my dog.