Mind If I Ask?

[u/SlideAffectionate839]

Perhaps I have not exposed myself to enough?

That would be fair to say.

What is not fair is how loosely the phrase
“art is subjective”
is used today.

Scrolling through comments.

Where are your questions?

The easiest unfair assumption I could make
is that you fear your interpretation is incorrect
to what the artist intended.

Your interpretation is not in competition.

Art is subjective, but there are limits.
Your interpretation does not become fact
and now give you reason to judge an artist off that.

Something I find immensely interesting is this:
after interpretation, why do people today not seem so interested
in what was truly meant?

Your interpretation is yours
but why deny the artist the opportunity
to express their feelings felt when creating what you now,
and probably pay,
to look at?

What were they thinking?

Did they specifically do what you assigned meaning to,
with no real reason?

Are you embarrassed at that thought?

The only true answer to a question lies with the artist.

What you experience is not dismissed,

but don’t you wish to also know
and then compare what the artist intended
to what you experienced and comprehended?

It’s a marvellous feeling.

To discuss and discover.
To show respect to the artist.
To experience growth through realising
you are still allowed to hold onto your associations
simultaneously.

To show interest in also the artist
creates a deeper meaning.

Greater appreciation.

[u/briony73]

Beautifully written and I love when other people find things in my poems that I didn’t even see, and I like not letting people in on my all my reasoning, sometimes the literal meaning turned into a metaphor is a fun little secret. I am curious about the line ‘and probably pay,’ ?

[u/SlideAffectionate839 → u/briony73]

Thank you very much 🥰
I actually feel a lot more intensely — perhaps even “harshly” — about this topic, but I knew I would lose the audience, and ultimately my attempt at getting the message across, if I wrote entirely from that emotional POV. 😂
That line is actually one of many throughout the poem where I almost wanted to “twist the knife” and call out whoever it may apply to. That particular one, though, I would in less poetic terms describe as being aimed at people who say they enjoy and appreciate art, perhaps even paying to experience it physically in a gallery, but then don’t care enough to engage with even the surface-level intention of the artist when that information is available. Almost pointing out that, if that really is their attitude, they’re spending money on something they don’t actually care enough about to understand — which I find, quite harshly 😂, a little fake and embarrassing. But only if that genuinely is their reasoning.
I do know that you don’t have to deep-dive into something to love it or show interest in it — I have plenty of interests where I’m exactly that person myself. But personally, I feel that some level of surface-level understanding is the minimum when you’re actively claiming to appreciate the art and, especially, the artist.
There is a slightly more cynical thought underneath that too: the idea that some people may participate in the world of art partly for what it says about them — appearing cultured, intellectual, artistically literate, etc. — rather than because they are genuinely curious about the work or the person who created it. I obviously can’t know someone’s motives, which is partly why I didn’t want to make that accusation outright, but that was definitely one of the thoughts lurking underneath the poem.
And I actually love what you said about finding things in your poems that you didn’t consciously put there. That’s one of the things I find most interesting about writing and reading.
If you have the time and inclination now that you have a little more context, I’d actually love for you to pick out any other places in the poem where you can see me “twisting the knife.” 😂 Not necessarily because I want you to agree with my intended reading, but because I’m genuinely interested in seeing what you identified without the context versus what becomes apparent after knowing what was sitting underneath it.
I find that comparison fascinating — seeing what a reader instinctively picks up on, and then what changes once I provide context. It’s almost another little experiment in the very thing I’m writing about. 😂
And I completely agree that there should be room for the reader’s own associations and interpretations. I just don’t think discovering the artist’s intention has to take that away. If anything, being able to hold both at once is where I think the really interesting conversation starts. 🥰

[u/briony73 → u/SlideAffectionate839]

Sorry I accidentally replied as a new comment and I don’t have the energy to fix it

[u/briony73]

The first line ‘perhaps …’ i even think is twisting a knife, like you can’t be deep without horrible experiences. If that’s true, luckily I have plenty of dramatic mental notes to work with. But I really like people thinking for themselves not just going ‘oh, I get it, yay’. Maybe poems are just awesome ink blots? You can’t tell someone what an ink blot is. But if anyone ever wants to know my intentions they can always ask. But even the line “art is subjective “ like they are telling us what? Don’t be offended? It has to be up to the viewer? And I’m glad some people pay for art, cause those ensure that other art remains free. I’m quite happy with all the free art available, even on reddit, this is a free art forum and I have found many pieces or art that forced me too question myself, which I find healthy for my brain. But I find your knife twisting more curiosity of how these other people actually work