Art As A Language

What has always confused me about art culture throughout most of my life was this idea that art was a universal language, and if you didn’t get it then you simply weren’t smart enough. An idea that may or may not be propogated intentionally.

I was thinking this morning though that art is very much like any other language, if you don’t know the grammer or the vocabulary the other people are using, the message is libel to be gibberish. Anyone can view a piece of art work and derive an opinion of the asthetic of it. weather it is beautiful is in the eye of the beholder, but what is says is dependant on the vocabulary and grammer spoken by the artist when he created it.

Arts vocabulary is steeped in culture, often a very specific culture. The grammer isprovided by the context of that culture and the intent of the artist. If neither is known, only so much can be determined, and much is left hazy or unknown. The idea that art is a relative thing is exactly right when put in that context.