picasso baby...

It’s not one of life’s great questions – hardly the ‘Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything’ (answer 42!) or other similarly deep questions, but do you ever wonder if you actually like art?
 
It’s hard to make that decision without fully understanding what art is. Does anyone actually know? Art is subjective which means we all like something different!
 
I expect art to most of us is stuffy old paintings hanging in a gallery – I have stood in front of many a ‘classic’ and been completely unmoved by them (and often surprised by the size of some of these masterpieces.) I recognise the skill and talent involved – something I definitely could never achieve – but passion and inspiration just passes me by whether it’s a modern piece of art or an oil painting full of cherubs and strange creatures.
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​We both love photography – photos are definitely a form of art, aren’t they? Galleries full of moody black and white shots with hefty price tags to decorate your wall that’s definitely art isn’t it? But what about Instagram feeds? The quality and talent displayed across peoples Instagram accounts is breathtaking at times – photography can be a cheap and cheerful hobby now and Instagram is full of talented photographers displaying their work, but would you consider it art?

You might be thinking here that I am completely uncultured but how wrong you would be! Art to me is big. I love a big installation the quirkier the better. Maybe I’m a product of watching too much Art Attack when the kids were younger – do you remember the amazing massive designs Neil Buchanan used to create – visible only from the air! Go check YouTube if you haven’t! 

​As a family (always drag everyone else along with you!) we were fascinated by Cornelia Parker’s amazing exploding shed ‘Cold Dark Matter: An Exploded View’ at the Whitworth Gallery in Manchester, gazed in awe at the intricate paper cut sculptures in the First Cut exhibition at Manchester Art Gallery and still can’t quite believe that we spent such a long time looking at a giant crack in the floor ‘Shibboleth’ at the Tate in London (it really was just a completely fascinating crack in the floor!).

The growth in giant art outdoor installations across the country has led us to extend our journeys many a time calling at random towns and roads just to see one! The Angel of the North standing proudly near Gateshead, the Kelpies close to Falkirk in Scotland and their sister sculpture "Arria”, Anthony Gormley’s ‘Another Place’ 100 cast iron figures (allegedly all of him and very naked!) spread out across Crosby Beach - these should all be on your must see list. We even manage to have our own slightly smaller sculpture in Wigan Town Centre - The Face of Wigan, representing all the inhabitants of Wigan. ​

​Art should be whatever gives you pleasure to look at whether that’s an ageing oil painting, an unmade bed (?!) or giant metal horse heads. Photos hanging in a gallery, children’s paintings on your wall and yes, I definitely think Instagram. An art gallery you can view from anywhere in the world at any time - at times inspirational and emotive -  check out our account @mwgu50 and have a look at some of our amazing followers.