Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Aesthetics

I think that it is important for us as artists, and people to have at least a vague understanding of aesthetics and the ways in which we make aesthetic judgments.

When writing about my work recently, I almost frivolously used the word aesthetic, and only once I went back and unpacked what lies behind the etymology of the word, did I really have a sense of understanding, and it has made me aware of and question how and why I see things the way I do. As an artist as well, I have become a lot more aware of how differently people can perceive my work.

For example:











After recently displaying these earrings, a friend told me that they really connected with the concept of the miss-matched earrings, using the same pattern but one being cut out and the other embossed really emphasized the concept of how a person has many facets and sides to them and a person can never be a perfect reflection of what they want to be.

Another lady, on the other hand, was actually buying the earrings and asked if I realized that I had forgotten to cut the pattern out of the one earring.

Both of these reasonings seemed perfectly understandable to the person making the judgment because of the context which they created in their minds. Their reasoning and connection to these earrings were completely different because of their separate influences in life.



2 comments:

KRSDBR said...

Hi Christy.. I take it that these two people then have different realities, or what do you think?

Christy-Anne said...

Yes, I agree...I think the realities of their lives influenced how they interpreted the piece.