The quest for meaning is a long and winding road and ultimately, one that takes everyone to a different location. Especially when it comes to understanding a work of art, interpretations and attributions of meaning can be as varied as the people viewing the work, because of arts subjective nature and the external influence of each individual viewers’ life. As an artist, the concept of meaning can be a challenging one and sometimes the obsession with a work having a deep and impactful message can become detrimental to the creative processes and organic nature in which many painters work. As humans, it is only natural that we seek validation through the approval and understanding of our creations; just as we love our artworks, we want everyone else to as well! So, what happens when people don’t like your work – or worse still, when they just don’t get it? It can make you want to curl up into a ball and never paint again, but do not fear! Here, I hope to discuss why you shouldn’t get too hung up on what it all means, why people might not understand your work in the way you might like, and why that is fine…
As artists, we are often asked to explain our practice to others, to discuss the meaning behind a certain artwork or to describe the themes and concepts we are interested in. As individual questions, these seem relatively harmless and - for the most part - easy to answer. However, if we are to delve deeper into why we are asked these questions, it is clear to see that the viewer is looking for a meaning or message within our art: something to define us and situate us within their perception of the art world.
This should be seen as a massive compliment; someone is interested in your work so much that they want to learn more about it! Hooray, pop the champagne, you’ve got yourself a fan!
However, if - like me - your practice spans a number of interlinked themes, explores process and discusses ambiguous concepts, it can be extremely difficult and anxiety inducing to have to give your work a clean cut meaning. Yet we are guilty of doing this ourselves! When we talk to our peers, or visit a gallery, questions fly around concerning whether a colour represents a feeling, if the angle of a certain portrait is supposed to represent a child’s perspective, why a plain blue canvas is important and a shark in formaldehyde is genius. All of these discussions are because we want to understand the artwork - why/how it was made, the artists’ intentions, concepts and themes, etc. As humans, this is a natural reaction, because of our societally constructed idea that knowledge and power go hand in hand, but the joy of fine art is that knowledge is not determined; it is open to interpretation and subjectivity. This is precisely why some people love and admire said blue canvas, while others despise its simplicity and lack of ‘skill’ in its creation.
So what does all this mean, and does it really have to have meaning at all?!
The simple answer is no. Not all of your art has to change the world, cause controversy or have a deep and meaningful message. As long as it means something to you it is a successful artwork, and whether your meaning/idea/feeling/opinion/emotion is discussed or challenged by the work you create, it doesn’t even really matter if other people understand it or are given the option to. Some artists harness this exactly and attempt to make art which is about nothing. This in itself could be viewed as their passion or their interest and hence, by being about nothing, the work awards itself a meaning or message.
It can be extremely difficult to accept the idea that people may not understand or respond to your art in the way you want them too, and it is precisely this that I am currently struggling with; I am concerned that in explaining my opinions and feelings surrounding the objectification and sexualisation of the body in social media and in our everyday lives, that it may appear as if I am trying to change the way we operate as a society and how we, as humans, think. Which is of course impossible! In this sense, I find it is important to readdress my practice from other perspectives, such as focusing on my process – which I discussed in my last post – and testing out new ideas, which you will be able to see on my Instagram in the coming days!
All of this can be conflicting as an artist, it can feel like a personal attack if someone doesn’t understand your work or thinks it is addressing something you did not intend. But just as you may have a different opinion on marmite to me, some people will inevitably view your art differently. When they do, remember that this means you have succeeded in making a work of art, something that makes the viewer feel something, and that is, ultimately, what we are all striving to do, even if they have marmite on toast and you prefer jam.