But What Does it Mean?

This seems to be the question most asked in art museums. People are constantly asking this of the person at their side, the person working the gallery and if all else fails they read the placque in hopes of an explanation. Why has society become so apathetic towards art? Why do we need someone to spell it out for us instead of taking out of it what we see ourselves? Are the days of looking for images in clouds gone? I hope not.

Great artists throughout time have been less than clear as to the intended meaning of their art for this very reason. Pablo Picasso was known for answering "I can't recall" when asked what he meant by a specific painting or sculpture, and this is why much of what is known of his work is speculation to this day. I believe that Picasso was right in not giving away his motivations because just as life is a different experience for us all, so is art.

The inability to share in an artist's emotions or to percieve and feel through what actually exists in art and instead state only what you believe is required in an artistic theory has made recent aret commentary unenlightened, distorted and all but useless. Art should be looked at not for an explanation, but as the explanation itself. It's meant to be an, at least temporary, therapy. Remember that the next time you're in a museum gazing at a Van Gogh, silently wondering "But what does it mean?" in 100 years, the world will still be wondering that question, however it will have forgotten about the argument you just had with your spouse.

My suggestion for you is the next time you want to understand a piece of art, ask yourself these three things:

What do you feel on first encountering the piece?
What do you see of the qualities of the piece that made you feel as you did?
What do you know about the piece's imagery and intent, and the origins and context from which, and in which, it was created?

This is your meaning. And whereas it may be different to the next person, it's true to you- and this is what makes it art. We should understand that as artists, as people, creation is immortality as much as it is expression.

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