Here we go again
- dwaynecoryell
- Jan 4
- 2 min read
Let's start with Merry Christmas, Happy New Year!
Many psychologists, philosophers, and neuroscientists say that the primary human goal is making-meaning of our world. Meaning-making is performed by intaking visual information thru our eyes to the optic nerve which is essentially an extension of the brain. Eyes are unique this way. Our brains then process the information and make meaning. When we see art, this meaning-making process is in action.
I recently started a DYI MFA program. I'm reading some books including Art & Fear. The book offers three questions to ask yourself when you see art: What was the artist trying to achieve? Did he/she succeed? Was it worth it?
I'm supposed to come up with an artists statement/manifesto. I'm working from the theme of "Amuse and Confound." I want to amuse and confound the viewer. I think I'm hitting on the confound part.
I came upon this quote from art historian E.H. Gombrich while watching a neuroscience lecture on consciousness.
"The artist gives the beholder increasingly 'more to do,' he draws him into the magic circle of creation and allows him to experience something of the thrill of 'making' which had once been the privilege of the artist.”
This is what I hope my art achieves.
I've been reworking some existing pieces and creating new ones based on a theme of "screens." Screen is a 14th century word meaning shielding an area from heat or drafts or from view. I see people today shielding their true selves with modern screens. How do we break thru these screens? Sometimes we are not aware of the screens we have created or handed to us in our youth. Removing/breaking a screen can have consequences. Often the edges are sharp. And what's behind the screen may not be known. My current art explores this idea. I hope to be able to share them with you later. For now, below is an example of the progression of one of my paintings. Can you see the screen?
Are you amused or confounded? Good. See you next time.
