Notes on Interpreting Art I

Does art bear a message in the way language does? What must we know to clarify an artwork’s meaning? Can’t we just look at an artwork for enjoyment?

Gender and sexual preference—together with nationality, ethnicity, politics, and religion—all seem to have some impact on the meaning of art.

An interpretation is an explanation of how a work functions to communicate thoughts, emotions, and ideas. A good interpretation must be grounded in reason and evidence.

Although no one interpretation is true in an absolute sense, some interpretations of art seem better than others. Critics assemble interpretations using diverse approaches. Some people downplay emotion and pursuit of meaning and focus only on compositional beauty. On the other hand, some critics go to the opposite extreme and provide a psychobiolographical interpretation.

Click link for an interesting blog entry on the artwork.

Click link for the wikipedia entry on the artist.