I seem to have a tendency to bring up jazz a lot when I talk about art. Probably, it is simply because it is one of the artforms that I have the most familiarity with and the best personal understanding of. So I guess I'll bring it up again in the hopes that it adds something to the discussion of appreciation of art at different levels.
Jazz is something that you usually love or hate. I'm not talking Kenny G. pop jazz, but the far less accessable Coltrane, Monk, or Parker type of jazz. Much of it can be heard as noise or as magnificent, depending on the listener, but there are also many different levels of appreciation in between those two extremes.
For some, they just like the sounds of the piano or the light, bouncy, elements of the rhythm. Others might appreciate the underlying melody that is being suggestively danced around by the lead instrument and how the melody is implied, rather than explicitly stated. On an even deeper level, one might appreciate how the chord structure itself is cleverly implied through the use of chord substitution. There are so many levels to the appreciation but whether one has the ear and knowledge to dissect the intricacies or rather, just enjoys the toe tapping feeling that they get from the song, there is plenty of room for everyone to find something about it that they enjoy. The trick is to give it a chance and try to keep your mind open. The level that you wish to try to understand and relate is up to you but that doesn't mean that it can't be enjoyed at a variety of different levels.
I assume that the artforms I am less familiar with have similar aspects. I love paintings and photography and sculpture and dance but I don't understand all of them enough to develop a deep appreciation of them. There is still a lot of stuff that speaks to me and evokes emotion, even from my "lowbrow" perspective.
