Hello. My name is Megan and I like to draw. This will be a blog documenting my process through 3D Design.
Chapter 8: Constructing Meaning
Iconography:
Iconography, the study of symbolic visual images, is something everyone has experienced when analyzing an image for its surface or hidden meanings.
“Yellow Jacket” by Lily Haole (aka Lily-Fox) is a great piece which we can analyze for iconographic meanings (http://lily-fox.deviantart.com/gallery/#/d1xctck) Also, check out the rest of her work on DeviantART, she’s one of my favorite modern artists, she’s just lovely C:
On the surface, we notice the extreme contrast between the colors and how the subject takes on an ambiguous look. If we sit here and dig for deeper meaning, we would find that yellow and black, especially in tandem, are universal symbols of caution and warning. We see this in everyday examples such as road signs and traffic signals. We also notice that the young woman has a sort of “rough” exterior from her hairstyle and nose piercing. Together, the image gives us the notion that this woman is dangerous and we should approach her gingerly.
From analyzing this piece anyone can guess what the simple meaning of this picture is, meaning that iconography happens to be an example of a shared language, a language that overtime one will learn to understand in greater detail, just like any other language.
What is Art?:
Art, the creation of beautiful or thought-provoking works e.g. in painting, music, or writing.
A five-year-old might say that art is how you express yourself yourself through drawing, painting, or singing. Short and sweet, to the root of the question. I would have to agree with them
I think art is how one expresses themselves in any creative fashion. There are so many creative things you can do that are considered art: drawing, knitting, singing, composing, writing, dancing, autobiograph-ing, the list is endless. Art is what you make it: whatever you feel, taste, smell, see, and hear put into a constructed and aesthetically pleasing form that expresses whatever meaning you and others give it.
Stereotype and Cliché:
Stereotype, a fixed generalization based on a preconception
Cliché, an overused expression or predictable treatment of an idea
The two have similarities, but even more similarities. I believe that a stereotype holds more power than a cliché because they are usually negative in meaning and if the wrong person believes a negative stereotype, then it can become a dangerous situation. For example, Nazi propaganda images featured people who practice Judaism as physically “disgusting” with “long noses” and have a greedy personality. This is obviously an extreme example, but some stereotypes can become the norm for thinking and that could be potentially dangerous.
Clichés, however, tend to lose their impact after a period of time. The first time you heard “the early bird gets the worm” you probably thought it was a cute expression and believed it. Now, as adults, most of us tend to resent mornings just because in America they are quite busy and many do not have the luxury of enjoying it, thus early birds become quite annoyed and mornings lose their luster.
Effectiveness:
The effectiveness of a piece depends upon the following characteristics, the purpose, intent, and context. For example, an artist wants to display an image that means love but doens’t want the idea to be cliché. The artist then might think of an abstract way of portraying love, such as an older brother carrying his younger sibling. The intent of the piece is to portray love, but depending on how the context is layed out (such as the older brother’s facial expression looks annoyed) might show another type of meaning. It is key to think of your piece as a whole so the viewer might understand the true meaning of a piece, making the artist’s effectiveness much greater.
What is Truth in Art?
I am not exactly sure which category I would fall under for this question because I agree and disagree with values on both sides, but I guess I tend to lean towards postmodernism just because I believe in many different truths for different ideas and materials. Everything has multiple meanings and possibilities given the right kind of mind set. I don’t think this would change my previous answer on art just because artists describe themselves in so many different ways and not one piece of art is identical in use and meaning.
