Art Methods and Practice

Artists create Artists are creative Artists (may or may not) create things Things have meaning Artists create meaning

Our understanding of things changes the world Artists attempt to influence they way things mean Artists attempt to influence the world

Art is not “in” an object or connected to any specific materials or processes

Art poses questions rather then offering answers Art is open ended Because art is open ended, different viewers will get different things out of it. Because art poses questions, better knowledge allows the viewer to get more out of an artwork.

The more we know, the better we understand

MEANING

mean · ing v. To convey or indicate as having a purpose or intention

What does this image mean?

Are meanings always the same? Human Pyramid?

Meaning is not a matter of a dictionary definition Nor is it fixed or stable

Meaning is not a matter of a dictionary definition Nor is it fixed or stable

Meaning is not an essence or attribute of objects or symbols

Meaning is not an essence or attribute of objects or symbols

Meaning is not an essence or attribute of objects or symbols

Meaning is not an essence or attribute of objects or symbols

Shapes, objects, and places don’t mean… Only People Do

The most effective visual artworks attempt to strike a balance between providing enough information so that the intended meaning can occur, but not providing so much information that the viewer is left with nothing to do other then bear passive witness. The circuit of meaning needs to be complete, but never closed, so that the viewer’s participation can serve as the final, electrifying link.

Damien Hirst

The impossibility of death in the mind of someone living.

David Salle