This week's reading was “Meaning, Identity, Embodiment: The Uses of Merleau-Ponty’s Phenomenology in Art History” by Amelia Jones. This essay describes how the critique and analyzing processes of art are intertwined with psychology. Phenomenology is the philosophical study of the structures of experience and consciousness. This study when related to art can be used in many critique methods. What we say about art, reveals to the viewer what we think of ourselves.
In the essay, “Meaning, Identity, Embodiment: The Uses of Merleau-Ponty’s Phenomenology in Art History” there are several key ideas that stood out to me. These key points were the interrelation between subject and object, physical reactions to art, and phenomenology in art. This essay described how subjects and objects work interchangeably, especially with artwork. One line that stood out to me was, “Merleau-Ponty’s theory of the chiasmus, in particular, can be viewed as at least a partial solution in that it argues for a reciprocal interrelation between the viewing subject and the object she views, and between the viewer and the subject who is identified with the object as its maker.” The essay goes on to explain that we as people view subjects yet create our meaning from them. This means that as we view emotions presented to us, we create emotions in response. This exchange in feelings creates a relationship between subject and viewer where neither is more influential than the other.
I also really enjoyed how this essay describes physical reactions to emotions in art. I am a very empathetic person and I feel things deeply. However, reading this essay made me realize how normal it is to feel physically impacted by art. When we see an unfamiliar image, our bodies use our senses to send signals to our brain and we thus create a physical reaction. This initial reaction could be disgust, fear, calm, and so on. This concept reminds me of the first time I saw “Dead Fox Lying in the Undergrowth” by Edgar Degas. I remember feeling physically sad when I walked closer to the painting only to realize the fox was dead. Other instances in my life, similar to this one, have proved to me that we as physical bodies are still emotional beings.
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| Dead fox lying in the Undergrowth, 1865, Edgar Degas |
In my opinion, the most abstract concept we discussed in this essay was phenomenology. This concept is something I had never been exposed to before. From what I gathered from the reading, this concept applies to art and life every day of every hour. What I liked about Jones and how she juxtaposed Courbet and his analysis of Origin and how that showed his life experiences and inner thoughts. I believe Courbet showed his desire when he described the Origin as in a state of orgasm, despite the lack of movement. The author Jones points out beautifully how his life and inner thoughts have created this critique based on the visual of the Origin. Courbet in my eyes became the subject rather than the viewer when he described the artwork in that way.
Overall, this week’s reading was interesting. I am still thinking about the concept of phenomenology and how it applies to art as I go throughout my day. My favorite thing about this class is its ability to apply concepts to a multitude of things. As a future art teacher, I hope to leave my students with ideas that travel with them outside of the classroom.
This week's essay was interesting in how widely it can be applied to life, not just art. It leads to a lot of questions some that are even slightly existential: are there parts of you that are shaped by something you've consumed? How has the consumption of new things and perspectives effected you as a person? How much of yourself is you and how much of it is the bits taken from things you enjoy?
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comment! I also really liked how this reading connected art to psychoanalysis. Personally I believe that our experiences and what we consume influence us. I love how you phrased the question,” How much of yourself is you and how much of it is the bits taken from things you enjoy?” Personally I feel like we all gather from what around us. Thank you for the questions!
DeleteHello India! I agree with you that this week's reading was rather interesting. I enjoyed reading your blog, and I love how you continue to add a lot of detail in each one. You do a lot of thinking and research, which makes your blog very interesting to read. You always make me wonder of your thoughts for each reading.
ReplyDeleteGlori, thank you for commenting. I'm glad you enjoy reading my posts on my blog. A lot of times my thinking changes after I read the essay of the week. I usually think about the new perspectives throughout my days before I write the essay. I like how you can take concepts from this class and apply it to everyday life.
DeleteHello India,
ReplyDeleteExcellent job on your summary of this week's reading. I enjoyed the painting you've selected to highlight. I never thought about the physical reaction that one gets when coming across a work of art. I remember seeing Degas' painting Dead Fox Lying in the Undergrowth at the Denver Art Museum myself. I stopped to look at it among all of the other Degas paintings and thought to myself if he literally came across this dead fox and painted it or did he do quick sketch and take it back to his studio? I also remember thinking why he chose to share this painting with his audience, and I think he wanted to share the same reaction when he came across the dead fox. Overall, great summary.
Yvonne, I really liked the comment you left. We definity stood in the same place when we saw the painting because I also went to the Degas show at the Denver Art Museum. That is an interesting thing to wonder about. However, I do get the same feeling as if I were to find the poor fox in the forest. Thank you for your comment!
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