Meaning in Art Ds

Art and Culture

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MEANING IN ART DS

        Art context defines the collective setting, circumstances, conditions or occurrences where a piece of art is created/produced, received and interpreted.  Artists do not create the contexts but within the varied and multiple contexts. By recognizing and understanding the multiple contexts of art, we acknowledge the interaction of art with specific and active forces in a particular society. Such forces include political, religious, social, economic and historical. Ideally, the context of art represents an ideal set of background knowledge or information that facilitates the formulation of meanings with regard to works of art as well as the effect of context on the form. Notably, understanding the context leading to the creation of a piece of art is integral to the appreciation of art. Interestingly, the context may either hinder or facilitate the identification and recognition of objects and consequently, the production of art objects (Sachant & Tekippe, 2018). The contextual information enables us to discover the symbolic meaning of a particular piece of art.

        In my view, historical context enables us to understand major historical events that occurred at the time a piece of art was created. In this way, we acknowledge the influence of such historical events on the production of art objects in addition to an artist’s reaction to the events.  In the seventeenth century, for example,  the historical events had a significant influence on the Dutch paintings(Sachant & Tekippe, 2018). During this period, Netherlands was in a transition period known as the Dutch Golden Age. Major political, scientific, social, cultural, economic and religious transformations took place during this period.  The flourishing economic growth and the spread of education led to the emergence of the merchant class and the rise of arts patronage(Sachant & Tekippe, 2018). Similarly, division along religious lines had a profound influence on art objects.  For example, the emergence of the Protestants during the Renaissance led to new interests and forms of painting subjects to suit the new religious beliefs.  Patrons of art began to focus more on still life paintings, portraits, and landscapes to suit the Protestants who were opposed to religious art(Sachant & Tekippe, 2018).  Renowned artists such as Willem Claesz Heda created a new form of art that largely depicted the importance of Protestant faith as well as how it was practiced in Holland.

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