When you go to an art museum and look at the each piece, your first thought is probably “What does this mean?” Most people, upon seeing a work of art, are led to think about the deeper meaning behind it. This can cause much debate, as everyone interprets artwork slightly differently. One person may believe a piece means one thing, while someone else may see something entirely different. Everyone has individual life experiences and unique points of view that change the way they perceive art.
A point of discord that many don’t often identify lies in the true meaning of the work of art, rather than differences between each person’s perception of it. The first issue that must be acknowledged is how the meaning of art is defined. Is art defined by those who view it or those who create it? Is art defined at all? I believe every answer is in some way a correct answer. Art is altered and changed by artists, yet it is viewed by others. Artists filter and funnel what people will see, yet there is no way for them to truly ensure that every person will gather the same message and feeling from the piece. In this way, artists and viewers both determine the meaning of the work of art in their own way.
Another topic many debate on is whether or not all art has and should have a “deeper” meaning behind it. It’s difficult to answer this question, especially when dealing with the aforementioned idea that the true “meaning” of a work of art is fluid rather than concrete. Nevertheless, there are still arguments for either side. Some say all art should have a deeper meaning behind it, some say all art should not. Some argue that all art does have a deeper meaning behind it, while some argue the opposite. In order to decide what is truly correct, it is again up to each individual person’s perception and point of view.
While there can be arguments made that all art has a deeper meaning behind it, and a meaning can be gathered for every work of art, some people may not find a meaning at all in a piece. Because the meaning of a work of art varies between each individual person, whether or not all art has a deeper meaning behind it also varies based on the individual. There is no way to truly discern what the deeper meaning truly is as all art is veritably, regardless of which side of the argument one is on, subjective.
Whether or not all art should have a deeper meaning behind it is in my opinion, up to the artist. While everyone, regardless of whether or not they are creating works of art, may have an opinion on this, the artist is the one who decides if they personally want their own works of art to have a deeper meaning behind it. Some may create just to create, and some may create to say something “deeper.” Regardless, an argument can be made that artists that create with deeper meanings intended produce the richest works of art.