Reading Response 1

Kat Fong           

Thesis1

August 30 2011

Michael Wyshock

            Susan Sontag’s article, “Against Interpretation,” talks about the importance of content for interpretation in a work of art. Although she argues the necessity for interpretation all together, I think she clearly points out that any style of art is going to be deciphered differently. Viewers will always have their own experience that may not be the same as the intensions of the artist.  I think the evolution of art itself has also evolved the way in which we, as the viewer, interpret a piece of art. When art use to be mainly mimesis, there was no reason for any other interpretation. A painting of a person was merely a painting of a person. When symbolism comes into play there becomes all these elements of that steer the viewer into certain areas of interpretation. Translation of a piece is entirely subjective. As viewers, we have our own personal baggage that we attach to the intended concept; often changing it to better fit our interpretation. It’s like trying to translate a language from one to another to perfection. It’s impossible. The intended phrase, or in this case a concept, cannot be reiterated in the exact same way. There are always subtle differences. In my work, along with many other artists, the goal is to create a kind of experience for the viewer. The way a person interprets a piece affects the way they experience the work.

For me, the stories are important because they influence the result painting.  Once the painting is done, the story is less important to the viewer than it was to me. They experience the production for themselves and then create their own interpretation of the story.

            In the article “What is an Author,” by Michel Foucault, he questions the importance of the author’s role for the article. I think the author plays an important part in getting the information he wants passed onto the reader. When a reader reads in their head, they hear their own voice. The readers are discovering this information for the first time on their own. The author’s job is merely to provide that information for the reader to discover. Whatever the author writes serves as a starting point for people to base their thoughts on and spark conversation between others. Once the author finishes the writing it is no longer up to the author who reads it, how its interpreted how its discussed, and who it is discussed with.