Theory and Methods Week Three Discussion
In the article, Bryson discusses how signs in artwork are interpreted and how he believes art is
made up of the signs artist put into them. He discusses how through the lenses of Perceptionalist
viewpoints, an artist and the viewer should have the same thought patterns and interpretation of the
artwork if they are reading the symbols the same. However, he also discusses that the importance of
context means this doesn’t always happen, one person might interpret art differently because of their
lived experiences and what they recognize about the symbols in the painting. If you do not know that in
Christianity, a white dove is used to represent peace, then you will not know to think of that when
interpreting art with doves in it. You would have to have the prior knowledge of the particular sign or
symbol before being able to interpret it the way the artist intended. Also, not all art is meant to be
realistic or naturalistic, there are many artworks that are more abstract than realistic. Also,
symbols have the ability to be interpreted differently over time. What we know now about a
particular symbol and how we feel and interpret it may be completely different than how it was
interpreted at the time of the painting's creation. The circumstances of the world and the place the
artist lived in at the time, the society they lived in, and the communities and groups they were apart
of all influence the way artists use symbolism and signs. It also influences how the artist creates
artwork in general. Ideas are always reinvisioned and expanded on, and as such symbols and the
way we think about them in art are also expanded on over time. Because artwork is a language of
visual communication, it makes sense that the meaning can change as we associate different visual
images with different things over time.
A painting is like math or reading because we attach meaning to symbols to help us interpret
a set of symbols. In the article, Bryson states, “With mathematics, for example, I may have a vivid
picture in my mind of a certain formula, but the criterion of my knowing that the picture was a formula,
and not simply a tangle of numbers, would be my awareness of its mathematical application,”
(Bryson 92)(1) The only reason one knows how to solve a particular math formula is because they’ve
learned what the set of numbers and letters mean when paired with each other. The only reason one
knows how to read is because they’ve learned what that set of letters in a particular grouping means
and what sounds are attached to that word and those letters. Numbers and letters are just lines on a
paper, just symbols we give meaning to, just how we give symbols to visual images in art.
In the Baptism of Christ by Italian Renaissance master Piero della Francesca, it is a Christian religious
artwork, and there is a dove flying over Christ's head meant to represent peace.
 |
| https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5a/Piero_della_Francesca_-_Baptism_of_Christ_-_WGA17595.jpg |
Just like I discussed earlier, one wouldn’t know that if they hadn’t had the knowledge previously.
If someone had no knowledge of christian symbolism especially in art, this painting would just look
like someone giving someone else a bath while other people watch. The added context of the signs
and the religious aspects of the piece allows us to know what it means.
(1)
HI, Miles. I like the approach you took to the paper describing how cultural biases affect they symbology in artworks. You were able to break it down into easy to understand language. For some reason, I could not make sense of what this author was trying to say. I knew that his thesis statement was that art is made up of signs and symbols, but after that it became a dreary sludge of a reading. The quote you included about mathematics was especially meaningful after you analyzed it. I wonder how the author feels about artists whose works are ambiguous? If we don't know how to read the signs, then how can it be a successful work of art? Does he think those pieces are relevant? What about landscape painting? How are cultural biases influencing a plein air painting of a mountain? Just a little food for thought.
ReplyDeleteHello! I am so glad I was able to help make the reading a bit more understanding! I found it extremely challenging to understand and then analyze as well, so I definitely understood the struggle. I also wonder how the artist would feel about work that is ambiguous. I wonder if he would think those pieces had any communicational value or substance. Is an artwork that has no valuable communication or visual language in it valuable?
DeleteHi Miles! You're ability to expand on your ideas and put them in a form that makes sense to everyone was very refreshing.Your relation to mathematics was highly important, and I would have preferred to see more expansion on how that could relate to the artwork you chose, and how Bryson and the artist of The Baptism of Christ might have related more than leaving it to a sentence, because that piece most likely has more symbolism that could be expanded on. Your writing was very colorful!
ReplyDeleteHello Makayla!!!
DeleteThank you so much for your kind words! I agree that mathematics in art is important and relevant to consider, and I will keep in mind to expand on the big ideas and conclusions I make in my blog posts. I think that the artwork I chose probably very well has much more symbolism than I have examined or explored. Thank you !