Symbols & Semiotics
Symbols & Semiotics Painting is just like math. I may have a strong mental image of a sign-system, but knowledge of its mathematical application is the condition for recognizing that it is part of a bigger system. If someone is solving a math problem without knowing the formula, it will appear as a jumble of numbers, but if they know the formula, it will make sense. Painting/art is the same way. A person can only read a piece of artwork when they can apply meaning to it and relate it back to their own life. Power is always outside this relay of the visual image to the spectator, according to the Perceptualist viewpoint. The canal of perception that flows from painter to viewer is seized, expropriated, and deflected by power. The viewer has to interpret their own meaning and figure out what that power is. The artist may be able to tell if an image matches his or her original vision or goal, but the viewer may not have this information. However, such congruence as a...