Thursday, January 19, 2017

The Whole Ball of Wax, Review

While some people believe art can change the world, it is imperative to understand what type of 'change' they have in mind.  Changes that alter the world of medicine or global warming as mentioned in the reading, may not be the change these individuals are referring to.  But also, it is important to stop and think what the definition of art is.  Art's definition will substantially differ from an artist to a physician, where a physician may believe a medical breakthrough can be a form of art.

In Jerry Saltz's reading, art can change the world "incrementally and by osmosis".  The reason being is that art is a part of a larger force than some individuals may come to notice; it helps make change possible through its massive influential energy.  In addition to being able to synthesize change, art has many broad and precise meanings, but it is important to understand that art is necessary in all aspects of life.  While art can calm, soothe, and relax the mind and body, it also has the ability to invoke polar opposite emotions in its observers.  With that knowledge, it is safe to say that while art may look as though it can have straightforward meanings, similar to a poem, art has the potential to be absorbed by the mind and interpreted an infinite amount of ways.

In closing, Eric Fischl's summation of art being similar to a cat has enabled me to understand its depths and meanings on a much more rudimentary level.  Cats are creatures that humans have an extremely difficult time understanding or even getting along with.  Similar to the statement of art being "political when it doesn't seem political and not political when that's all it seems to be", art has a way of rubbing individuals the wrong way if they aren't able to understand it profoundly.   Yet I feel as though the purpose of art is not to be understood, but to be appreciated at its utmost potential.

4 comments:

  1. Judith, I pointed out the two types of imaginative process our minds can enter, as well. I found it interesting that each of us have a different mental cinema that displays images in front of our mind. This is noteworthy because it shows that every individual possesses a different imagination, and see the world differently.

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  2. i agree with you that art is sometimes not so much meant to be understood but rather to be appreciated. I also agree with your point that art does not enact large physical change but may inspire individuals rather than cause wide spread change directly.

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  3. Hi Judith, I liked how you elaborated on this article so deeply. I also saw it the way you did. The form of change art can bring is definitely imperative, because everyone will eventually be changed in a different matter, (usually emotionally.) I'm glad to see that someone else views art in the same way :)

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  4. I really enjoyed your review! I especially liked how you started off your post going into what kind of change art has the power to cause, and how art can be defined differently depending upon who is defining it

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