Intention in Art
February 16, 2025
Intention in Art
February 16, 2025
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February 16, 2025
"Making art is all about communication. A piece of art is a conversation. Every choice you make, is a statement. Don't worry about labels, or conforming to a standard. Just be true to yourself, and people will appreciate your honesty."
This is one of my favourite quotes about art. That it is attributed to a cartoon helicopter-dog thing in no way diminishes that art is indeed a conversation. A statement. It touches upon what I feel is a vital aspect of art - intention.
Let's take a moment to consider Comedian by Maurizio Cattelan.
Simply put, it is a banana duct-taped to a wall, but it recently caused a stir when it was exhibited in New York. It is easy to dismiss it as meaningless and ridiculous until you begin to consider intention. Cattelan's statement had nothing to do with bananas, duct tape, or even the wall it was adhered to, and everything to do with the system that elevated Comedian to it's position in the art world.
That banana, by the way, sold at auction for $9.5 million. The artwork was then eaten.
Comedian by Maurizio Cattelan. Image courtesy of ABC News.
More to the point, intention not only defines what a piece is but how it should be understood. Every artistic choice - composition, medium, colour, technique - should be considered. It is the artist's vocabulary. Without it, you run the risk of your conversation being lost amongst the noise and dismissed.
Intention is what I try to keep in mind whenever I make anything. My hope is to provide depth, direction, and meaning beyond what you see alone. While I hope that my work remains open to interpretation, intention is what keeps it grounded and guides the viewer to how it is interpretated.
Even when something appears simple or unconventional - like, for example, a banana taped to a wall - how it is interpretated can be changed when the intention is understood.
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