If you have any interest in “Art as a cultural system” I would very strongly advocate the reading of Clifford Geertz version up until about page nine, where it becomes almost impossible to follow for a genuine lack of interest in the long-winded redundancies of the text. So far as I have gathered from the reading as well as my own personal experience with the visual arts, the definition these creations and the effect it undeniably produces in any aesthetic-minded person is unattainable; so broad and truly all encompassing, it can only be subject to the individual viewer.
It has raged as an ongoing discussion and controversy between savants of all cultures for the better part of human-kinds existence, and still remains unsolved. Some feel to dissect the beauty of something many would deem as sacred would be to destroy the very intangible plain of existence this otherworldly masterpiece lies on. I tend to agree with the other, more humanistic version of the argument; the discussion and interpretation of art very much adds to our aesthetic experience. Not too say that being overly chatty over a tour de force of sorts wont leave it feeling butchered; moderation is key in many things, especially the dismemberment of a treasured piece of art.
It is shown that from an early age children are able to appreciate and respond to visual stimuli, and I, as a child, I remember my home brimming with the grotesque and beautiful fine arts of Dali, the intriguing, dark, romanticized texts of Poe, and all other sensuous forms of artistic beauty and skill. I had always been extremely responsive to such things, but after taking art history & numerous other art classes at the Pratt institute I felt my deeper understanding of the intricate workings of art was enriched.
It is so important, when looking at something one would generally deem art, to consider its origins & the effect it had on the work. For instance, one would need to understand that the ovals in Abelam paintings represent the fertile womb of a woman, from which they believe creativity both literally and figuratively stems to understand the work. Or that the thickness, length and depth of the lines in the ritual cuttings of the Yoruba tribe signify a sort of civilization rite. “The country has been civilized” literally means in their native tongue “the earth has lines upon its face.” Rather then allow these interesting facts to be shrouded in shadow, the details of this art prove to be necessary in order to understand it. Depending on your background as well as several other key factors of your being your interpretation of one work of art could be drastically different from another persons. An artists work will almost always reflect the common people of his culture, and people always have a natural inclination towards something they feel they can relate too. The art of a culture is very much a mirror of the culture itself, and as always, any type of art is extremely interpretive and is truly produced to extract any strong emotion, no matter what it may be, from the viewing audience.
Although it is very important to be able to recognize and enjoy art in the most primitive forms, I believe that analyzing specific characteristics and designating significance to a certain symbols, shapes, colors, etc., may help you to understand the abstruse meaning of a piece. However, I do not think that you should be so concerned with defining it that you reduce it to a cold mathematical equation. We arent looking to solve the art through our interpretations and dissections, were looking to solve and dissect ourselves through the interpretations of the art.
