2016 / Words in art

Words in art

Leonardo da Vinci once said that “poetry comes from the mind”. This quote has never been more true, since nowadays Art is seen as an artist’s way of expressing his thoughts and feelings. However, as the Lebanese poet Khalil Gibran shrewdly observes, “Thought is a bird of space, that in a cage of words may indeed unfold its wings but cannot fly”.

Contemporary art is but a representation of today’s philosophy, expressed in different ways and touching on various subjects. Once an author makes his art tangible, it is then turned into words by art critics, trying to find links between the meaning and the creator. This sets into motion a sort of “game” – homage to Duchamp – where words defining artistic trends or summarising a method of reasoning can be “showcased” and made into a concept. This vision is subsequently given form, introducing the public once more to the work of art. Creativity has its own incisive and autonomous universal language, full of interpretations and lacking authentic translations. Therefore, leaving to one side art critiques – essential in interpreting art from a historic standpoint – Art is conceptual and intuitive. Thus, the public’s perception is fundamental in creating a personal link with the artist, opening channels for logical and sensory communication and using emotions and rationality as a way of making contact. That is why Structure (internal disposition of shapes), Flow (meaning continuous changes and transformations), Abstract (Distancing the image in favour of communication), Concrete (shapes, colours, brush strokes and space), Body (“performance” in which the object and subject magically chase each other) and Symbol (gestures and immediateness of imagined art) are all starting points for examining the history of art and, at the same time, they are “passe-partouts” for observers wishing to know and understand contemporary art.

by Genny Di Bert