but, what does your art mean?
Meaning behind art seems to be a big thing and I can't for the life of me understand why.
I appreciate that there needs to be discussion brought about by art and that means that thoughts should be shared, but trying to explain the meaning behind a piece is like a magician who spoils the trick.
Do we not want viewers to have that bit of wonder? To think about how the trick is done and come up with their own thoughts about it?
The artist knows what the piece's meaning is for them, but we as viewers look through our own lens. So, we should be aiming for work that makes the viewer apply their own meaning, but artists don't have to taint or influence that by telling them what we want the meaning to be.
Why should I explain how a piece of work I've done explains the "dichotomy of good and evil within each of us" and think that should mean something to anyone viewing the piece?
At best, it influences what the viewer thinks (which is this then their own opinion?) and at worst, it's just words that mean very little to them and they're left feeling underwhelmed or (perhaps worse) indifferent.
Perhaps I'm over-simplifying things and we need these meanings so that there can be an open discourse around a piece, but my belief is that having people discuss what a piece means to them will forever be more important than trying to apply the artist's meaning of a piece.
I suppose I'm concerned that we're taking away the potential of fresh, new and different meanings to art because an artist has told the viewer what that meaning is, there's no room for discussion and it becomes a task of "does this reflect that meaning - yes or no?"
Which seems incredibly boring.