March 28, 2016 - 20:01
"Traditionally, we understand that art originates in genius, but genius is really at minimum only the name for an intelligence large enough to plan and execute works of art - an intelligence that usually goes by the name of 'intention' " - Siebers, 15
The idea of intent has been bouncing around in my head ever since we discussed how a person needs more than just good intentions when representing another individual or group. I've noticed that I have a tendency to try and mindread. When reading articles or prose, I find myself wondering how and why the author came to create the piece - what their intent was. I often think about how the reception of their work differed from what they envisioned, if they envisioned it at all. When I submit a paper (and let's be real, every time I send an email), I feel a twinge of unease over the fact that I can not fully control how my words will be perceived.
So, with all that, I was drawn into Siebers' argument and the work of Judith Scott. From the point of view of an observer of her sculptures, I find value in detaching intent from what a thing can accomplish. I look at her sculptures and I see art, regardless of what Judith intended. At the same time, I think about that twinge of unease I often feel and I wonder about the implications of casting intent aside all together.
Somehow these questions found space in a quote of Leher's, "What you find beautiful is the result of the sum total of who you are. You fall into love through the rabbit’s hole of your own mind, taking your body with you. Human beauty is a relationship. It’s something we bestow on each other, and as such is a power dynamic" (3). I like the idea of human beauty as a relationship; I like the idea of art as a relationship. Just as we may understand beauty and love through understandings of ourselves, I cannot disentage myself from my perceptions of art. I look at Judith's paintings and as much as I grasp for an understanding of her, I also grasp at something within and through myself. While a relationship is inherently a power dynamic (as Leher describes) at least it is also inherently two-sided. If we thought of art as a relationship, rather than something someone produces and sends off into the world, would intent matter less? Would intent matter more?