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How to educate yourself in the fine arts?

I graduated college a few years ago and do not have the time to go back and study the fine arts I wish I had back then. Now when I am at dinner parties and social events, I don't feel that I can hold my own in conversations about great literature and fine art. My question is: what would you recommend to educate yourself on the fine arts? Perhaps you can recommend a reading list of great literature as well as texts on the great works of art? This is very important to me and I will be very grateful for any input! Besides better conversations, I'd like to become more acquainted with the fine arts so that I can be a better writer. I feel so uninspired lately... :-(

Public Comments

1. Go to museums as often as you can. Subscribe to The New Yorker magazine, which always has the best in reviews and art analysis IMHO. Read the Cliff's Notes (seriously) to get yourself caught up on the basics, and then take the time to go back and read the ones that really interest you in their entireity. Most of all, listen and ask questions at those gatherings. You'll learn a lot from those people, and you'll also find that most of them have "experience" about an inch deep... ie: they will be VERY well-versed in one genre or time period, and just as ignorant as you are on all or most of the others......
2. What most people really know about fine art wouldn't fill a thimble. Go to local galleries and take the tours, they give insight, not only into the artist's life and motivations, but also the creative schools to which they belonged and specific techniques they employed. Above all view and enjoy art and form your own opinion about what you like and don't like about an artist. Literature is another story (yuk yuk). Read new stuff. Getting stuck in Jayne Austin and Henry James is like bragging that you can still fit into your prom dress...MOVE ON! There are great modern authors who are every bit as valid and "important" (I hate that word in reference to great books) and great writing which has meaning now, not 200 years ago (give or take 60 years). You'll have to drop the Micheal Crichton and pick up Jan Martel or Tim Findlay but hey they are great too, just a bit more thoughty. Don't get me wrong I liked "Pride and Prejudice" and "A Room With a View" but they had less to say to me than "A Cure for Death By Lightning" or "Shipping News". I mean go ahead and try to read "Ulysses" if you want but my suggestion is to leave most of those dead guys until you're old. Read Shakespeare sonnets too. They are great poetry (buy annotated versions) and good fodder for a romantic quote or two.
3. Art Appreciation and History, here are sites and links that can help you; http://www.creativity-portal.com/howto/artscrafts/art.appreciation.html http://arthistory.about.com/ http://www.appreciation-of-art.com/ http://educate-yourself.org/cn/makowgestapochiefandtruman20aug06.shtml http://www.sungazette.com/Lifestyles/articles.asp?articleID=16322 some books to read; In the Aftermath of Art: Ethics, Aesthetics and Politics (Routledge Harwood Critical Voices) (Paperback) by Donald Preziosi (Author) http://www.amazon.com/s?ie=UTF8&keywords=History%20Of%20Fine%20Arts&rh=n%3A1000%2Ck%3AHistory%20Of%20Fine%20Arts&page=8 An Outline for the Study of the History of the Fine Arts (Hardcover) http://www.amazon.com/s?ie=UTF8&keywords=Fine%20Arts&rh=n%3A1000%2Ck%3AFine%20Arts&page=8 The Mind's Eye: Art and Theological Argument in the Middle Ages (Publications of the Department of Art and Archaeology, Princeton University) (Paperback) by Jeffrey F. Hamburger The Fine Art of Reading: And Other Literary Studies (Hardcover) by Lord David Cecil (Author) http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=pd_ybh_s_1/102-4231383-0662546?%5Fencoding=UTF8&keywords=Fine%20Arts&index=stripbooks&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=right-2&pf_rd_r=020R7PXY68AAV5B23KSW&pf_rd_t=1501&pf_rd_p=224900201&pf_rd_i=ybh Educate yourself as a fine art collector next; sitehttp://www.emoma.org/faq/collect_faq.html http://web.info.com/infocom.us2/search/web/Fine%20Arts%20Education?CMP=3075&itkw=Fine%20Arts%20Education http://etext.library.adelaide.edu.au/o/orwell/george/o79n/chap1.html http://www.fineartregistry.com/about_FAR/press_room.php http://www.sfcp.org/resourceCenter.cfm?task=cat&cat=8 http://www.artandantiques.net/Articles/Insider-Advice/Sophisticated-Shopping.asp http://synnernation.wordpress.com/tag/educate-yourself/ http://www.colum.edu/Portfolio_Center/Industries/Art.php Excellent site below for familiarising yourself again with terms and artists; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fine_arts http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Arts For great literary Authors; http://www.classicauthors.net/Orczy http://www.classicauthors.net/ http://www.bartleby.com/ Why Should Businessmen Read Great Literature? http://www.acton.org/publicat/randl/article.php?id=428 The 100 Greatest Books in History http://www.nicholaswhyte.info/100books/nwgbooks.htm Other ways to educate yourself.........Read news articles or columns on line. For great sites free for artists; wetcanvas.com http://newsroom.eworldwire.com/pdf/view_... http://www.cafepress.com/cp/store.aspx?s... Magazines or art articles will also help dramatically. Look at on line sites like these next ones to see and hear artists ideas,exchanges and views. http://www.flickr.com/ or another good one is http://ww.photobucket.com/Sign up for free and post your work on http://www.etsy.com/ https://www.boundlessgallery.com/......... http://www.faceyourart.com/ Join an artist forum like. http://www.deviantart.com/ get reviews http://www.artistsforum.com/ http://www.gfxartist.com/community/forum... http://dart.fine-art.com/boardlist.asp..... http://www.cafepress.com/ http://www.pageresource.com/zine/art1.ht... http://www.wildlife-fantasy.com/promotio... http://www.webdesignoffice.us/web_design... http://www.storyboardsinc.com/index.shtm... http://www.takingitglobal.org/ http://www.thewritemarket.com/articles/i... http://www.cafepress.com/cp/info/sell/... http://www.yessy.com/overture.html... http://midwestslant.com/ http://www.artocracy.org/ http://www.artistsincanada.com/php/~entr... http://ca.search.yahoo.com/search?p=free... http://www.cjb.net/ http://members.************/ http://websearch.about.com/ http://www.killersites.com/ http://www.surrealart.si/ I would try to get myself into an art gallery or an on line museum.There are many virtual museums ex. The Louvre. Hope these ideas help. Cheers!
4. Just follow the link. I think that is what you are looking for. You will find tonnes of information at the link below.
5. Everyone here has great ideas. I would follow through on them, time permitting, if I were you. But . . . In conjunction with museum tours and reading the great works in your spare time, have you thought of being a more engaging conversationalist? By that, I mean ask more questions at those social events. Ask them why they feel a certain way about a work of art or piece of literature. People love to talk, you impress them as a great listener and you may learn more about art than you ever thought you could. Think of them as instructors giving lectures on art and literature. (because they are!) You can go on line and look up artists and their work. Look at fine art auction sites and check out the works of art.