Up@dawn 2.0

Monday, October 7, 2019

Art as juice.

John Dewey compares art to the juice expressed from a wine press. It has much in common with nature and other things. But like the grapes in a press, it has been transformed. The artist takes what he has observed and combined it with present and past experiences to produce something new. The end product, a work of art, shares much in common with its source material but is distinct and of itself in other ways. This process results in something that is shaped by personal experience and yet more universal, too.

All art is representational to some degree in Dewey's mind, even if it doesn't replicate nature. It still represents an expression of experience. In fact, merely reproducing nature is a mechanical exercise that lacks any unique qualities. To Dewey, "Science states meanings; art expresses them." He illustrates the difference as in a traveler who comes across a directional sign pointing the way to a city. The traveler still must experience the city himself to know anything about the city itself. Art doesn't simply describe a scene; it conveys what it felt like to be there processed through one's life experiences.

Van Gogh's work is not an accurate depiction of a starry night or a wheat field with crows, but it is how the artist experienced those things, and many viewers can identify with the lens of emotional turmoil depicted. He has organized the elements to portray further his vision, not the representation that would come from the use of a camera. The artist "resees" the subject, using line, color, light, and shape to form a new thing out of the old.  The "subject matter" is not really the point and could even interfere with the goal of the artist.

The altered lines and colors go beyond just an aesthetic effect and amplify the expressiveness, bringing the viewer closer. In the process, art reveals the true nature of experiences. In this way, art often communicates in ways more profound than even intended by the artist. Dewey sees art as a language, one that conveys more than speech. In his view, a work of art isn't complete until this communication with a viewer has occurred.  But Matisse allegedly said, "When a painting is finished, it is like a new born child. The artist himself must have time for understanding it." I know when I complete a painting, even one commissioned, I have to live with it for a certain amount of time before releasing it.

In regards to meaning in art, Dewey finds it ridiculous to try to pin down what an artist meant in a work of art. Meanings change by the day and the minute, depending on where an artist's head is. He feels that the meaning isn't complete until a viewer interacts with the art. A work's title can also often be a barrier to authentic communication. When told a title, the spectator may associate it with an irrelevant prior experience making the work simply a documentary piece rather than a real experience. Someone once complained to Matisse that they'd never seen a woman like the one is his painting, to which he replied, "Madam, that is not a woman; that is a picture."

Portrait of Madame Matisse. (The green line). 1905

To Dewey, the talent an artist possesses isn't merely technical skill but the ability to arrange materials in a way that is poignant and connects us. He compares this to the process of furnishing a room with disparate tables, chairs, rugs, and lamps. When these are properly arranged, the whole is much more than the individual pieces. Sometimes, these insights and connections are not immediate but rather like seeds that take time to germinate and sprout in us.

Throughout history, great artists are steeped in tradition. They have studied the classics, digested them, and produced innovative work. It is often said that one must know the rules in order to break them.

6 comments:

  1. John, you mean.

    Good post, good point: art is interactive and relational. WE get to say what it means, we don't just have to register and replicate the artist's intentions. Not even the artist has to do that, or always even can.

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    1. John! Sorry, that must be blasphemy to you! ; )

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    2. Section 11:
      I like your thought on art! You can make it what you want in your own mind and not have to rely on the artist point of view to direct yours.

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  2. Section 11:
    I really enjoy this talk about art we have been having weekly! I never thought as deeply on it as I do now.

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  3. Section 12
    I've always found art to be whatever thoughts and ideas that you have brought to life in the image of how you seem them.

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  4. I love watching Art Assignment. I agree with Dewey that the meanings found in art can change... and shift. And the artist can have one meaning, but the viewer another.
    Really interesting stuff!

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