The eternal question is, does the artist lose control of his art the minute it leaves his brush, pen, or mold? Does the audience have a right to interpretation? Can the art take on a life of its own? More importantly, should it?
The artist does in fact lose control of his art the minute it leaves his brush, pen, or mold. His name will forever be branded on the artwork, but the artwork will develop a mind of its own. In Pygmalion, Eliza will always be seen as the product of Higgins’s lessons, but she becomes independent from him and creates opinions of society on her own. The work of art will have the power to influence people’s thoughts in any way it desires, and it can develop meanings that the artist never intended it to have. This, of course, is all determined by who is viewing the work of art. One person can view it and form an opinion, and another person can view it and form an opinion that is the complete opposite. For example, let us define Eliza’s image, not Eliza herself, as the art. The guests at the ambassador’s garden party believed Eliza’s image was the acme of radiance, beauty, and sophistication. On the other hand, Eliza believed her image was no more glamorous than that of a prostitute. She realized that upper class women had to sell their images in order to find a husband and be financially successful just like prostitutes had to sell their images to make money. Once Eliza discovered this similarity, she believed Higgins left her with nothing but a pretty face and considered herself no better than a prostitute. These completely opposing viewpoints from the guests and Eliza are based on individual experiences and values. Upper class guests were so obsessed about appearance that they rhapsodized over Eliza’s dress and jewels, but Eliza grew up on the streets and applied her experiences to her present situation. The audience – the individual viewing a work of art – reserves the right to interpret art according to personal beliefs. As humans, we develop our own thoughts and link them to certain colors, shapes, emotions that arise, or visual content. One person might see the color red and think of love, but another person might see red and think of blood. This is, ultimately, the goal of art – to encompass different, universal emotions. Art is supposed to take on a life of its own in order to achieve this goal. It should be able to bring people together to discuss it. Every artist knows that people will come up with interpretations that the artist never intended to be there. He will create art to relay a message or a feeling, but he will also make art for the pure enjoyment of the creation process. The hope is that most people will understand the artist’s intent, but that sometimes does not occur. A successful artist is one who can bring people together to solve issues within society and life in general. Beautiful art can do this, but gruesome or inappropriate art can accomplish this as well. If the artist wants people to think about a delicate topic, graphic images are sometimes used to relay the seriousness of the topic. A disturbing image may be the spark of truth that ignites a revolution or a call for justice. In Pygmalion, Shaw used Eliza’s drastic change in appearance to convey his message to the world that looks do not define people.
The artist does in fact lose control of his art the minute it leaves his brush, pen, or mold. His name will forever be branded on the artwork, but the artwork will develop a mind of its own. In Pygmalion, Eliza will always be seen as the product of Higgins’s lessons, but she becomes independent from him and creates opinions of society on her own. The work of art will have the power to influence people’s thoughts in any way it desires, and it can develop meanings that the artist never intended it to have. This, of course, is all determined by who is viewing the work of art. One person can view it and form an opinion, and another person can view it and form an opinion that is the complete opposite. For example, let us define Eliza’s image, not Eliza herself, as the art. The guests at the ambassador’s garden party believed Eliza’s image was the acme of radiance, beauty, and sophistication. On the other hand, Eliza believed her image was no more glamorous than that of a prostitute. She realized that upper class women had to sell their images in order to find a husband and be financially successful just like prostitutes had to sell their images to make money. Once Eliza discovered this similarity, she believed Higgins left her with nothing but a pretty face and considered herself no better than a prostitute. These completely opposing viewpoints from the guests and Eliza are based on individual experiences and values. Upper class guests were so obsessed about appearance that they rhapsodized over Eliza’s dress and jewels, but Eliza grew up on the streets and applied her experiences to her present situation. The audience – the individual viewing a work of art – reserves the right to interpret art according to personal beliefs. As humans, we develop our own thoughts and link them to certain colors, shapes, emotions that arise, or visual content. One person might see the color red and think of love, but another person might see red and think of blood. This is, ultimately, the goal of art – to encompass different, universal emotions. Art is supposed to take on a life of its own in order to achieve this goal. It should be able to bring people together to discuss it. Every artist knows that people will come up with interpretations that the artist never intended to be there. He will create art to relay a message or a feeling, but he will also make art for the pure enjoyment of the creation process. The hope is that most people will understand the artist’s intent, but that sometimes does not occur. A successful artist is one who can bring people together to solve issues within society and life in general. Beautiful art can do this, but gruesome or inappropriate art can accomplish this as well. If the artist wants people to think about a delicate topic, graphic images are sometimes used to relay the seriousness of the topic. A disturbing image may be the spark of truth that ignites a revolution or a call for justice. In Pygmalion, Shaw used Eliza’s drastic change in appearance to convey his message to the world that looks do not define people.