And I'd have to respectfully disagree with you, and I would have to say it is unequiviocally the other way for all works of art. If all art means what we want it to mean, then all art is the same and we might as well look at blank walls as we can have exactly the same meaning from a blank wall as from a Shakespeare play or Voyager episode, if we so choose.
I don't believe this at all and it wasn't my point when I posted earlier. It's probably my fault for not being clear enough though. I'm not sure how being open-minded regarding interpretation of art equates to looking at blank wall or seeing every piece of artwork as the same. That's never what I saw or envisioned in all my years at school and for some as a practicing artist. and, in fact, is nearly the opposite of what I believe in this area.
Presumably we are watching artists because they have talent we lack.
I disagree here as well.... do you not think artists look at other artists' work? I sure do, and so does every single other artist in any medium that I have ever known thus far in my life.
We should try to enter THEIR visions, not project our fanfics upon them, if we want to appreciate them fully and in any way that gives us value. What use is it to study Rembrandt's the Painter in the Studio but insist, insist, that it is really Goya's Saturn Devouring One of His Chldren? And then say we are all free to interpret art to mean any damn thing we want it to mean. What do we gain by denying the artist's vision and substituting our own? Shall I think my eye for beauty and the world as great as Rembrandt's? There's no self-growth and no exaltation in this solipsistic concept of art appreciation. It's all you and no artist.
I agree about the fanfic piece to an extent... and this thread was a bad time for me to start this convo because I do agree with that in regards to the topic of this thread.
However, I disagree regarding the Rembrandt example you used. That almost seems like a "thought police" type of mentality. Looking at a piece of artwork is a very personal event for me, and I know that at least some of the other people I know who are artists feel the same way (not that matters really). It's almost like Seven looking at the Omega particle, when she has a moment of clarity. That's happened to me before when watching films, looking at a painting, etc. It invokes a feeling in me that may lead me to other thoughts, other feelings, and quite possibly, other interpretations of the work. Regardless of what Rembrandt intended, if his work invokes this in me I cannot understand how that's "wrong" or "incorrect". That type of thinking just doesn't gel for me. My own artwork is abstract and I create it from a feeling or vision that resides within me, so I do have a vision when I create a piece. That doesn't mean that other people, when viewing my work, are not free to glean a different feeling or vibe. Perhaps they can recognize my vision, perhaps not... it doesn't have the effect of denigrating my own vision or the piece itself.
I will concede that his holds less (if it's true at all) for most TV shows. By their concrete nature and mainstream storytelling that tries to reach a broader audience this is probably not normally the case. There is far less room for flexibility from the viewer, unless perhaps you consider someone like David Lynch. I consider him an anomaly as far as television goes though. Just my opinion...
Anyway, I appreciates your thought, even if I disagree... it's an interesting topic to ponder.
