^ Jonathan Jones, Oysters and Tea Cups
Space/History/Time/Meaning
What makes art relevant?
1. Space- does the relevance of an artwork change according the space in which it is displayed?
-Space creates tension within a work, that makes the audience think about the meaning of the work. Positive and negative spaces can cause the audience to perceive different meanings.
- Space is the distance or depth between people, places, objects or shapes.
2. History- does an artist need to be familiar with the history of a space before they can make a work suitable for it?
- The artist should have at least a brief outline of the history and culture, where their artwork would be placed, to ensure that it does not offend anyone.
- The history or culture of the area will also have a significant impact on the meaning of the artwork, and should therefore be explored by the artist before they create their work.
3. Time- how does the time and context in which an artwork is displayed impact upon its relevance?
-Time indicates the audience and due to having different audiences the message/meaning in a work changes. E.g. If the artwork was created around the time of WWII, the audience during that era may believe that the piece comments on the war but a modern audience may connect it to a more current event.
- Over time, artworks tend to become irrelevant, old and even boring, however, there are works, such as the Mona Lisa, which, despite being created hundreds of years ago, thousands of people travel to visit it each year. It is also interesting to note how artists have appropriated this piece to make it more relevant to modern society.
4. Meaning- how can the environment in which an artwork is displayed create and alter meaning?
- Where an artwork is placed, its surroundings and how it is placed in an environment creates and alters the meaning/message the artist is trying to convey.
- For example: artworks in nature/representing nature would not have the same effect or meaning in a gallery or house as they would fo in a natural environment.
1. Space- does the relevance of an artwork change according the space in which it is displayed?
-Space creates tension within a work, that makes the audience think about the meaning of the work. Positive and negative spaces can cause the audience to perceive different meanings.
- Space is the distance or depth between people, places, objects or shapes.
2. History- does an artist need to be familiar with the history of a space before they can make a work suitable for it?
- The artist should have at least a brief outline of the history and culture, where their artwork would be placed, to ensure that it does not offend anyone.
- The history or culture of the area will also have a significant impact on the meaning of the artwork, and should therefore be explored by the artist before they create their work.
3. Time- how does the time and context in which an artwork is displayed impact upon its relevance?
-Time indicates the audience and due to having different audiences the message/meaning in a work changes. E.g. If the artwork was created around the time of WWII, the audience during that era may believe that the piece comments on the war but a modern audience may connect it to a more current event.
- Over time, artworks tend to become irrelevant, old and even boring, however, there are works, such as the Mona Lisa, which, despite being created hundreds of years ago, thousands of people travel to visit it each year. It is also interesting to note how artists have appropriated this piece to make it more relevant to modern society.
4. Meaning- how can the environment in which an artwork is displayed create and alter meaning?
- Where an artwork is placed, its surroundings and how it is placed in an environment creates and alters the meaning/message the artist is trying to convey.
- For example: artworks in nature/representing nature would not have the same effect or meaning in a gallery or house as they would fo in a natural environment.