Issue 04: Seeing You Through Them
In her early 20s, an art history student on sabbatical found herself at the Tate Modern in London. Amidst a sea of people, she sat, submerged in the deep-hued and mediative colours of Mark Rothko’s Seagram Murals . Floating in and out of the paintings, the feathery edges and chromatic backgrounds melted in between the molecules of her mind. As the artwork seduced her brain and the intense layers of thin pigment absorbed her energy, she cried. Alone in a room full of people, ironically, she was only comforted by the artwork and its transfixing powers. The others in the room, unaware of the weeping young woman, engaged with the work, having their personal experiences. Some viewed the artwork under furrowed brows, some unbothered, some silently, and others loudly. Each viewer brought something unique to the work based on their willingness to see, to fully engage and fall freely into the abyss.
Rothko’s art is not unparalleled in evoking mixed emotions. Fine art is subjective and begs the interpretation of the viewer, who must fully allow the art to infiltrate their minds so they can form a connection to the work. The perception and experience of the audience is fundamental to their reception and understanding of art on a deeper level. The artists bring tangibility to their creative expressions, while the viewer brings the already implied social and cultural allusions to life through their perception and articulation. The artist is enslaved by their need to create and willingly suffers at the hands of their ceaseless creating. They assemble their souls into their work, as a mode to express the inexpressible. Viewers see, receive, and understand the gift of the artist’s soul in this tangible form. Thus, we are truly experiencing what the art is giving to those of us who choose to truly see. Understanding this allows for a revelation of the emotions evoked by the art. Our response and interpretation is influenced by our lived social and cultural experience.
John Locke analyzes perception through humans’ interpretation and understanding of their everyday life experiences. He views the notion of perception as deriving from human interaction and environmental conditions, which form our ideas. In terms of artwork, Locke’s theory helps us to understand how people’s perception of art can be determined by lived cultural and social experiences. Therefore, the idea of the viewer can be seen as an abstract concept where the audience’s perception and reaction to art can morph through time as societal norms and experiences change, while the artwork remains static and eternal. The popularity and interpretation of the work will thus adjust to cultural changes, with each new generation approaching the work from different perspectives and interpreting it through the lens of different experiences, values, and expectations. Hence, art is coloured by each person's personal preferences, which have developed through experience and exposure. Metaphorically, artwork is a mirror for the viewer, reflecting our lived experience, which, in turn, allows us to interact with the work on a deeply personal level. The artist’s intention for their work is unchanged, but the audience’s interpretation shifts. Art is multifaceted, fluid. It shifts with you, allowing for infinite perspectives and interpretations without the work ever wavering.
This notion led to a retrospective of work by Philip Guston, intended to travel to a handful of museums in 2020, being postponed. There presented a concern that the Ku Klux Klan imagery reflected in his work, done with the intent to criticize racism, anti-Semitism and bigotry, could potentially upset viewers or be subject to misinterpretation. The decision was made last June during rising support for the Black Lives Matter movement and an outpouring of racial justice protests across the United States. Organizers worried that the artwork might be misunderstood or perceived by its audience as inappropriate or racist given the current social, cultural and political climate. Even though the well-documented and clear intention behind the artwork remains static, the fear of the reaction to it demonstrates the power of art and its ability to reflect back what the viewer understands from it. It is people ’ s lived experiences and interactions that prompt their relationships and understanding of art. Art is meant to spark conversation, alter perspectives, change viewpoints, raise debate, and express the inexpressible. This can all happen without the art or the artist's intent changing, therefore, supporting the notion that art is a mirror, and the viewer sees their own personal, social and cultural interpretations in the work. However, having a prior understanding of the intent of the artist allows the audience to connect to the art on a deeper level. They can therefore better understand the emotions the art evokes and what the art means to them at that exact juncture in their life.
The young woman crying into her lap as Rothko’s paintings held her in their embrace, subconsciously felt overwhelmed by the beauty of each poetic brush stroke. Nearly 30 years later, she returned to face the work that once brought her to tears, but this time as a different woman. She returned as an adult, one who had experienced many life-altering events — the death of her parents, divorce, motherhood and her journey with art. She encountered the work armed with new knowledge and interpretations. She perched in the nearly empty room, not only in the company of the familiar art but that of her fifteen-year-old son, searching for the oppressive emotions she encountered during her first visit. Contrary to the tear-churning experience of three decades ago, this time she was awed by the luminosity and uplifting lambency of the work. Moments later, she left the exhibition feeling happy and complete. It was in stark contrast to that earlier visit when she was overwhelmed with the sensations of sadness and desperation. The emotions she felt as a young woman had been replaced with an inner awakening and joy. The artwork remained the same, but her relationship with the piece had shifted drastically as a result of her personal growth. What she saw in the metaphorical reflection was completely different. During that first visit, she felt the artwork’s energy alongside her own reflected back. She could feel — and relate to — Rothko’s tortured soul emanating from within the work because at this juncture, she, too, felt depressed, fearful and uncertain in her youth. That 20-year-old is now an art dealer, a prolific collector, a gallery owner and my mother. From the art itself and what she brought to it, my mother received what she needed both times she visited the Rothko piece. When she saw the artwork for the second time, her growth as a person and the knowledge she had gathered both from within the art world and from her personal lived experience, allowed her to feel a whole new energy from the work as it reflected back to her a new understanding and appreciation for its beauty. Through her deeper understanding of the artist ’ s intention, she was able to comprehend the emotions she felt mirrored back at her. For my mother, this second visit finished the lesson she began 30 years prior. She understood that art can trigger or evoke emotion and elicit understanding based on the viewer ’ s life experiences and perceptions. Now the artwork presented another dimension to my mother, providing an experience that allowed her to see the equal importance of the artist ’ s intention and the emotions a work of art can evoke within the self.
Simplified, properly understanding and interpreting art is all about what you’re willing to see and explore within yourself. Rothko’s exhibition and many other artworks by a multitude of artists reflect both the artists' state of mind and act as a mirror for the viewer to interpret meaning through their own psyche and perspective.
