"Solid things are what everyone sees--what you and perhaps you alone see is less publicly seeable, hence less opaque"
As I was reading, this quote stuck out to me. I like the way the author tried to convey his ideas through this statement. The word "seeable" gives way to a few other meanings. For instance, what each persons sees as an individual is different than what everyone else sees. By different, I mean its literal meaning as well as that each individual associates what they see with something specific, a meaning. Therefore, what a person sees is less opaque because the less opacity provides more room to fill in the missing pieces. If a picture is solid, then that is that: everyone views the picture the same way and with identical meanings. I just thought the quote was a pretty clever way to describe how people have various point of views.
The identity concept described in the article said a good deal on how two things put together can mean something certain. For example, the picture "Sonata" can mean various things like the article said. The woman has an alternate side or she has an inner "animal" within her. This concept lead me to find this picture of a lion and a hand. I could not find a specific artist, nonetheless, this is a unique picture. At first, I did not even notice the whole lion body. I only saw the hand. In my opinion, this picture could mean that this person has the strength of a lion. His hand represents how tight he can grab or maybe even a fist. And then, the lion signifies the strength of that person. This picture definitely fits into this concept of identity because of the mixture of two images. Another way I saw the picture was an illustration of a assistance. The open hand gesture symbolizes a helping hand while the lion is what is being described. The lion could be running to aid a friend or family.
I love that quote as well. It made me feel like despite all the people in the world and how similar they can be, each person is still unique. One person can see things you cannot see. I still think solid photographs still deserve their credit, though. An image does not have to have different layers of opacity in order for people to have different perceptions.
ReplyDeleteAnd I like the lion. They are the perfect animals in symbolizing strength and courage.
I like the quote you analyzed because it describes Michals' work - he wants to leave room for different interpretations of one photomontage. In leaving room for interpretation, Michals' allows the viewer to bond with his work. And the photomontage you also fits this criteria, as you demonstrate by explaining it many different ways.
ReplyDeleteI think the quote posted here is the definition of conceptual art. Conceptual art is all about the meaning behind the piece, and the discussion brought about by the meaning. A discussion can only occur if there is a way for everyone to compare and contrast what each individual gets from the piece. Therefore, this quote is very representational of Michals, but also every other conceptual artist.
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