Art Can’t Be Shackled to One Meaning, it Flourishes from Interpretation

Words are constantly changing, and change at a rate that does not always match the time we live in. Terms that once meant one thing, carry a completely different meaning now, and sometimes in a way that never made sense originally. Take the word “ignorant,” for example. People used it to mean “rude” when really, it was “the lack of knowledge.” It is funny. People using it the wrong way were ignorant of the definition. You see, art is not like that. Art spans generations, can have several meanings or no meaning at all. Art cannot be weighed down by and expectation. Art is wild.

While words are shackled to their definitions, art walks freely without bondage. However, what is, arguably, more important than the art itself is, of course, the artists themselves. After all, you can’t have art without an artist first setting out to create a piece. There are currently 2.2 million employed artists walking the streets, and were successfully created from 113,000 nonprofit arts organizations. Altogether, you see art gallery after art gallery of creations that are looking for an emotional or a logical response. Discussion is key when it comes to art.

Art can be a Vessel for Ideas

What makes art so versatile is the fact that it is not constrained to paintings. You probably imagine art galleries full of contemporary art, but that is far from the truth–at least in modern times. Art spans past artwork into film, music, and theatre. It is because art is a vehicle.

For example, you can take a film and explore cultural differences or ask big questions that do not always have a simple answer. You can take artwork and express an opinion that is not entirely apparent, but helps open a discussion that would have been hard to open with simple words.

It hammers home the problem words can tangle ideas and tangle one’s opinion. They may say one thing, but actually meant something else. Where as art gives you one simple image, or set of images, and that is it. You have to decide what you think the story is that is attempting to be expressed.

Digest as much Art as You Can

If art is anything, art is an opportunity to digest ideas and stories that can change your perspective on events. It may take viewing a piece of artwork for someone to finally understand why something may be objectively wrong. It’s that reason the global art market ballooned to $64 billion in America during 2017. Visit your nearest art gallery and see for yourself; art expresses the human condition when words can’t.