I am/was an artist.
I rarely got into abstract visual art. Although I experimented with several dozen pieces, as part of my college courses.
Most of my stuff was geometric patterns, with fire, liquid texture changes, and contrasting backgrounds.
I would say, that I did consider there to be a bottom, top, and desired/intended flow.
I was admittedly still a teenager, and I never felt like I produced anything (abstract,) that was more than esthetically pleasing.
Nothing had any heart in it.
I was just doing them, to try it out.
Fast forward, and most of my art is still drawn from my imagination. The difference, is that I decided to try to use certain color patterns, that I normally wouldn’t. Often using cold colors, on objects depicting warm concepts, and warm colors on cold concepts.
I produced a precise still life, of my left hand, using cobalts, and other metallic colors like gold, copper, and silver. The result was a REALLY nice. I also scaled it up, so I could try to include finger prints, and scars.
I originally drew it, I the position of my vantage point, looking at my palm, with my fingers naturally kind of bent.
I did want the viewer to sort of look at it in the same vantage. As if seeing their own hand, in a sort of transition. I suppose that would be difficult, if it were upside-down.
However. I have always thought that a piece should be looked at in different ways, and think that essentially a piece of art should hit each individual differently.
I have to think this is different with sculptures, as many pieces, have to deal with gravity.
With paintings, drawings, or really anything that is on a 2D medium, I think the owner of the piece should position it however it most heavily represents what they get from it.
There are exceptions, like say a rendering of an upside-down American flag, in which hanging it the way a normal flag would be, would totally change the piece.
I think of visual art, like music.
A song can produce extremely powerful emotions. Sometimes, it may be because a person thought some lyrics were different. Others connect deeply to rhythms, or tone.
I listen to a LOT of instrumental music. Many times, the song titles infer the artist’s thinking when producing the music, but the melody reminds me of something completely different.
When I play guitar, I do not sing, but I am sort of “speaking,” just with music instead of words.
As I pass through the evolution of a piece, I may get very sad during parts, or feel rejuvenated by others. Sometimes sort of saying something, and then expressing how I respond to it.
But any music, could be played backwards, and some would still be pleasing.
Obviously, some artists have old records that were intended to be played in reverse to give alternate meaning.
I would say, if you aquire a piece, that you should hang it as intended first, and then maybe change the piece every few months until you find your favorite way of viewing it, or in some cases if it may accent your other decor better in different positions.
In short, I do not feel there is a wrong way of enjoying art.
Really great question.
