What happens if you explain your art to your audience?
If I start explaining my art to the public, even if it be willing to listen to my explanations, in my humble opinion it won't neither create deeper appreciation nor kill the imagination. Surrealistic art is fundamentally non verbal, being a method of translating archetypal ideas from the subconscious mind into visual stuff. And then gradually start aesthetically polishing the images. Explanation can't replace direct impact on the perceiver, which is there or isn't... However explanation can help to decode cultural references inherent in the work itself.
Replies to This Post
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Permalink Reply by Revelation on -
I see that explaining the "deepest" meanings of one's art is futile unless specifically asked for. Referring to surrealism, it is "real" enough to stand on its own ground. Abstract art is another story and is found sometimes to need explaination if confusion exist e.g., the title v.s what the work visually appears to be.
I had once painted a surreal painting for my banker; a small boat crested on the bank of the sea. The painting showed gold coins spilled in a trail and footseps (deep in the sand marking reference that a heavy load was carried) away from the boat. The name of the boat was the banker's name and the title of the painting was in another language and translated was: The Sea of Dreams.
Several mysteries were within the painting which only I and the banker knew the meanings of. A highly detailed audience may or may not have picked up on those subtle details, like the weight of the footprints. Most people would have seen a boat perched on the bank of the sea and thought the title referred to tranquility.
I did not ever take pictures of that painting, it was his, his mystery, and his plan for the future...or not, but either way there would be no evidence in the end. Just a mysterious and tranquil painting which told an entire story, yet no story at all.
Sure, I would have loved to explain the trickery within the painting but that was between the banker and I. He knew what the painting implied, as I, but the rest of the world may have viewed it as a plan for dishonesty, therefore crushing the very thought of it and disliking it...of course unless you are a banker! Preferring others believe it is about tranquility would grow a much larger crowd.
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Permalink Reply by Alexander Sutulov on -
More than making reference to personal issues, artistic endeavour is more about consensus in terms of creating the foundations of any culture. Written language is part of such consensus, a common language where public, artist and artwork engage and convey its transcendence. Concern about how the viewer may interpret a work of art is reluctant to a given level of reference and capability of discerning one thing from the other. In sum, our own capability of identifying empathy.
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Permalink Reply by Manojkg on
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It is a process creating a boundary for your work of art. Why is it needed......Once you exhibited it in front of the spectator they are also a part of it to react to it, express.etc.
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Permalink Reply by Alaine Handa on -
I used to think that art itself can speak for itself. In an idealistic situation, it can and will speak for itself. Especially if the audience is very well versed in the art form. More often times than not, audiences that are seeing the art form for the first time are afraid to speak up or ask questions in a Q+A scenario. However, when they do, they ask questions that are compelling and cause the artist to think about her/his work in a different light. Yes, sometimes there is too much information being given. Other times, it is just enough to get audiences understand your work even deeper. Just my two cents.
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Permalink Reply by Julie Bernstein Engelmann on -
I really don't like a lot of verbiage with art, because, to me as an artist, it either touches you or it doesn't.
But I have found that people love to hear the story of why I made a piece of art. The story provides a fourth dimension, apparently, and it is a sharing on a different level which can really help people to see the work better and to connect with me in a heartfelt way.
I have also found that my words revealed insight into my work that shocked me. "How on earth did I not see that!" This happened in a recent blog posting I wrote.
I don't know how to post the painting here, so I'll just link to the page. But when I wrote the story of the painting in words, suddenly the "washing machine" image in the painting popped out, and I simply had not seen it before! It was incredible. I was so shocked - and the image seemed so obvious now that I told the story - that I didn't even comment on it in the blog.
Here's the link (scroll to the end of the page for the story):
http://www.chipeft.com/JSS/Beauty&SpiritNote/Beauty&SpiritN...
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