The Whole Ball of Wax
We can't physically see the gradual changes and impact that art has on a society as they are occurring, however we can look back and see how art has influenced our thinking and captures the history that was being made. In this article, the focus of how art can't physically change the world, rather can encourage deeper critical thinking is fascinating. It's interesting to see how art can spark creativity in a society and make people view things from a multitude of perspectives. In the article, Oscar Wilde claims, "The moment you think you understand a work of art it's dead for you" which is a bold statement, but absolutely correct. Art is what ignites our creativity and can make people see so many different things. If you placed 20 people in a room and told them to look at a piece of art, you will get 20 different responses. So may be similar, yet no one ever experiences anything the exact same way. Back to Wilde's point that once you stop thinking and believe to understand a work of art, that piece no longer is alive to you because you don't believe there is anything else to be found or thought about.
A point very interesting in the article was comparing art to the relationship of a human and a cat. When calling for a dog, there is a common language and acknowledgement of what is asked. A dog will come running up when its name is called. The comparison was made that a cat leaves space when asked for and that is art. When looking at art there is an unspoken language, and connection we can try to understand it from afar.
I think you did a very good job explaining the comparison of a cat to artwork. This analogy of artwork to the relationship of a human and a cat really confused me at first; it took me several moments of reflection to figure out what Saltz was trying to say. While I did eventually understand the analogy, looking back maybe this was exactly what the author’s goal of the comparison: that the meaning of a work of art is open to interpretation and requires a great deal of reflection and inner thought to even somewhat of understand.
ReplyDeleteI found it interesting when you mentioned that though art may be evoking a similar image, everybody feels art in a different way. In result, art can never have one universal meaning, or be fully understood.
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ReplyDeleteI too found Oscar Wilde's quote to be interesting because as you stated: if you do put 20 people into a room with a piece of art they would all have different perspectives. I think this also allows people to think for themselves and develop their own opinions on what the artist is trying to convey.
ReplyDeleteI think it is interesting how you explained art is perceived differently by everyone and therefore does not have one meaning but can still impact the world.
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