Last week I wrote about abstraction and how it is a means of communication. But communication always has two sides, so this week's blog post is about interpretation, the wonderous ability of the human mind to transfer patterns between vastly different domains. Some people possess more of it than others, some know how to use it and some really don't. I feel like we don't talk about it enough. It's such a fundamental part of the human experience that it almost feels strange to talk about it. But let's try anyways.
When thinking of interpretation, most people will likely look back at their time in school, when their teachers wanted them to interpret some classical works of art. I've heard multiple people express the opinion that these were stupid and pointless exercises, because interpretation is subjective and it felt entirely arbitrary what the "correct" interpretation was supposed to be. I've even heard people assume that the artists probably didn't intend to express anything anyways.
Whenever I hear this, I want to smack these people in the face (which I never do for obvious legal reasons). Or, more accurately, I want to smack their teachers in the face. Who would look at the MONIAC and say: "yeah, it could be that the water represents money, but who knows? For all I know it could be love as well, it's just one possible interpretation. The designer probably just wanted to build a cool water feature anyways."
It's absurd, because this model is based on math. We find that the equations that give us the amount of water in the various locations are the same equations we'd use to describe the economy. When interpreting art, we usually can't use math. But when you find the correct interpretation, it can be just as obviously crafted into a work of art as the economy is crafted into the MONIAC. When you look at all the small details falling into place, you notice that there's no way it can be a coincidence.
That being said, you might not understand every piece of art. Interpreting art can be incredibly difficult, just like solving differential equations can be next to impossible unless you happen to stumble upon the correct solution. Most works of art require you to understand the personal context of the artist and the time they were living in. And even if you know all about it, you might be missing the emotional context. There's a difference between knowing that something has happened and knowing what it must have felt like.
By this point you may be asking: "Hang on, last week you said that abstraction can be used to hide deeply personal thoughts. Should I even try to interpret art? Isn't that an invasion of the artist's privacy?" But think about why we keep things private. We don't want people to misunderstand them. We don't want them to be taken out of context and used against us. But if an artist put them in a work of art, they had the desire to share them.
Think of all the secrets that you carry around. All the hidden fear, anger and desire you suppress, as people might look down on you if they knew. Art is a way for you to tell them, only on the condition that they understand. If someone understands, you're not mad at them for invading your privacy. You're happy that someone listened.
So never shy away from interpreting art. It's a way to learn things that no schoolbook, no Wikipedia article and no lecture could ever teach you. It's a way to make connections with other people and explore the human condition in a way that only very few ever will.
