Paper Example on Meaning in Art

Art context defines the collective setting, circumstances, conditions or occurrences where a piece of art is created/produced, received and interpreted. Artists do not create the contexts but within the varied and multiple contexts. By recognizing and understanding the multiple contexts of art, we acknowledge the interaction of art with specific and active forces in a particular society. Such forces include political, religious, social, economic and historical. Ideally, the context of art represents an ideal set of background knowledge or information that facilitates the formulation of meanings about works of art as well as the effect of setting on the form. Notably, understanding the context leading to the creation of a piece of art is integral to the appreciation of art interestingly, the background may either hinder or facilitate the identification and recognition of objects and consequently, the production of art objects (Sachant & Tekippe, 2018). The contextual information enables us to discover the symbolic meaning of a particular piece of art.

In my view, historical context enables us to understand significant historical events that occurred at the time a piece of art was created. In this way, we acknowledge the influence of such past events on the production of art objects in addition to an artists reaction to the events. In the seventeenth century, for example, the historical events had a significant influence on the Dutch paintings (Sachant & Tekippe, 2018). During this period, Netherlands was in a transition period known as the Dutch Golden Age. Major political, scientific, social, cultural, economic and religious transformations took place during this period. The flourishing economic growth and the spread of education led to the emergence of the merchant class and the rise of arts patronage (Sachant & Tekippe, 2018). Similarly, division along religious lines had a profound influence on art objects. For example, the emergence of the Protestants during the Renaissance led to new interests and forms of painting subjects to suit the new religious beliefs. Patrons of art began to focus more on still life paintings, portraits, and landscapes to suit the Protestants who were opposed to religious art (Sachant & Tekippe, 2018). Renowned artists such as Willem Claesz Heda created a new form of art that mostly depicted the importance of Protestant faith as well as how it was practiced in Holland.

Similarly, the scientific context has a significant influence on the production of art objects. Both art and science are inherently intertwined and complementary to each other. The Greeks, for example, integrated math and art to arrive at the golden ratio in the early sixteenth-century (Sachant & Tekippe, 2018). The development of the golden ratio led to the creation of more visually appealing proportions of objects and figures. These developments enabled artists to create more detailed and accurate depictions of the human body as well as other art objects. Indeed, the development of golden ratio was a scientific context that influenced artists such as Leonardo da Vinci to create more accurate depictions of the human anatomy (Sachant & Tekippe, 2018). Further developments of art and science in the nineteenth-century led to more sophisticated creations of art objects. The development of photography, for instance, enabled scientists to solve intriguing questions that could not be solved by observing with naked eyes.

As is the case with the scientific context, political context also has a profound influence on the creation of art objects. Historically, different political eras led to the creation of varying art objects that either opposed or supported the ruling political class. In China, for instance, the Yuan Dynasty influenced Li Kan, a Chinese painter, to create the Bamboo and rock paint (Sachant & Tekippe, 2018). Even though Lin Kan produced the painting twenty years after the end of the dynasty, the artwork represented the Chinese culture under the Yuan Dynasty. It symbolized the power, resilience, and strength to endure the oppressive rule under the Yuan Dynasty. Art and politics are strongly related and have historically occurred across all cultures. Art enables individuals to query the past and current political state and bring to light what remains hidden by the political class. It is common for artists to produce artwork in response to the political class and to engage the public on political and economic issues.

References

Sachant, P., & Tekippe, R. (2018). Meaning in Art; Social-Cultural Contexts, Symbolism, and Iconography. Mail.google.com. Retrieved 23 January 2018, from https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ui=2&ik=0ca7e1b843&view=att&th=16122792d601fce3&attid=0.2&disp=inline&realattid=f_jcrgp5741&safe=1&zw