Being a Connoisseur

A Second Prize?

Till I was 20, I dabbled in many arts. I did theatre and recitation, I painted and was quite good at it, I started learning violin and then the life happened… I got accolades, even unexpectedly, for recitation and painting. I was a budding amateur with possibilities according to all my teachers.

I stopped doing all that, and started writing. Writing is still one of my two primary vocations. I have nothing substantial to publish (yet). But, I have not left the trade already.

Before diving deep into the next part, I have to clarify to me if I am making a compromise and taking a consolation prize instead or not?

Well, no. I have not pursued them not because I lacked the necessary talent. Even if I don't have, I didn't know that when I abandoned those. I simply abandoned them because I wanted to become a thinker,^[1] and a writer.

Why?

Frank Zappa once said, "So many books, so little time." This is not only true for the books, but every form of art, be it music, or paintings, even food. One cannot help but being discriminatory.

Imagine your emotional structure as block metal, creating harsh tones if struck. We can hone our emotions, and shape them like tuning forks so that only the beautiful things can resonate.

My Journey

Being a connoisseur is not by any mean being a snob. With the very little knowledge people like me posses, it is natural to veer away from being a connoisseur and become a snobbish prick. To remedy the situation, one needs to seek for wisdom perpetually.

Consider the most loved of the all arts— music. A narrow-minded listener (especially, if not a musician or have not any ear-training) often belittle other people's music taste. That is a simple unfounded snobbery. One must understand that every genre has their own theory of aesthetics and they should be judged within that scope. Western classical music does't have any concept of Raaga. Similarly, harmonization is a concept alien to Indian classical. On the other hand, Indian classical music emphasises on improvisation— like Jazz, while Western classical is mostly compositional. It is important to appreciate the differences and intents and requires much listening. Every taste is an acquired taste.

Same goes for paintings, too. There's no point judging a painting from cubic genre in the aesthetics framework of the classical paintings.

The more a person knows, about the work, about the genre and their aesthetics, about the person behind that work, the more they can enjoy a piece of art. They also understand what is not yet accessible to them and doesn't show uncalled-for snobbery.

I understood these over the time and started being discriminatory about what I consume. Instead of narrowing my view, it broadened. Many avenues opened up, thanks to the multitude of complimenting understandings.

Isn't it more relishing to read Proust's Remembrance of Things Past if you can imagine a music based on his description of Vinteuil Sonata?^[2]

From another perspective, artists make substantial sacrifices to create their work. I feel it is a duty for me to appreciate them as fully as I can. Surely, Van Gogh deserve more than (qualitatively speaking) having The Starry Night printed on underpants and cakes!^[3]

Through sincere open-minded effort to understand, to raise myself to meet the height of a piece of art, I found that life can be infinitely pleasanter.

Join Me, My Friend…

If you are interested in art in general, here are a couple of books you may find intriguing. They are, in a sense, accounts of other connoisseurs.

1. Against Interpretation and Other Essays by Susan Sontag
2. A Musical Offering by Luis Sagasti