We'll have to wait for the final product. But if the art needs an explanation written next to it, it raises a red flag in my mind as to its quality.
 
junctionist said:
We'll have to wait for the final product. But if the art needs an explanation written next to it, it raises a red flag in my mind as to its quality.
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How'd you know there was a shoreline there, without an "explanation"? How does that affect the quality of the art?
 
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Art should convey what the artist wants to convey through the creative work itself, without a need for secondary explanations. If no one can figure it out on its own, then it isn't of good quality.
 
Have you been to an art gallery? All modern installations include a description about the art, and explanation. If not 99% of the people visiting would be completely lost.

I just came from the TATE and the instillation pieces were beautiful, but once I read the background (posted beside the art) I had an even better appreciation and understanding for the art. This did not make it of lesser quality.

Why don't we respect the artist and reserve judgement until the art is complete? It's like looking at a half-painted Mondrian.


junctionist said:
Art should convey what the artist wants to convey through the creative work itself, without a need for secondary explanations. If no one can figure it out on its own, then it isn't of good quality.
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junctionist said:
Art should convey what the artist wants to convey through the creative work itself, without a need for secondary explanations. If no one can figure it out on its own, then it isn't of good quality.
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So almost all of modern art is not good quality?
 
Some art like modern abstract is meant to be open ended. But art with a core meaning, like that commemorating a historic shoreline, should be understandable without explanations.
 
There's a difference between appreciating art on aesthetic terms and understanding its intended contextual meaning. Putting modern art aside for a moment, I think the Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi in Rome is beautiful. I thought it was beautiful before I read that it symbolized four major rivers on four different continents. In this case, I appreciated the fountain even before I understood its context. However, learning about its context enhanced my appreciation.

I think the problem with a lot of modern art is that people don't find it particularly beautiful to begin with. So they're usually in search of a secondary explanation for why they should care about it.
 
Roy G Biv said:
I don't know man. Informative plaques generally accompany historical statues and the like...
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Yup. I wouldn't expect anyone not knowledgeable about the city's history to know that was marking the historic shoreline without a blurb about it nearby.
 
Roy G Biv said:
I don't know man. Informative plaques generally accompany historical statues and the like...
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Those plaques give you additional information, but good statutes for historical figures convey notable aspects of their personhood in the way they're depicted. Courage, power and strength, for instance can all be depicted in a statute. It's after you notice those details in the statute that you might want to know more about that person's life story, hence why there might be a plaque.
 
junctionist said:
Those plaques give you additional information, but good statutes for historical figures convey notable aspects of their personhood in the way they're depicted. Courage, power and strength, for instance can all be depicted in a statute. It's after you notice those details in the statute that you might want to know more about that person's life story, hence why there might be a plaque.
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The text is part of the art installation. I personally find it powerful and it's probably more meaningful to the general public that casually walk by this space.
 
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