Abstract
Uniquely among human communications, the arts upend the expectation that communicated meaning will be clear and unambiguous. Instead, the arts – being far more than the mere communication of fact - are rich in meaning, impact, and significance, not all of which are apparent at first blush. While much effort has been expended upon discussions of meaning – generally reducible to the meaning of meaning – little has been done to examine how meaning (however defined) is generated in the arts. More specifically, what do we express when one states that a work or element of art – broadly defined – “means” something, and how is meaning generated and (ideally) understood? It has often been observed that the arm movement of “The Three Graces” in Botticelli’s “Primavera” is a linear rhythm that is also a “lovely gesture of concord.” But how does a linear rhythm become a “gesture of concord,” and interpreted and understood as such? In previous studies, the author has shown how artists – painters, poets, composers, choreographers, and others – in creating a work of art manipulate both the material and the immaterial – the real and the semiotic - resulting in a semantic atmosphere conducive to understanding; an understanding of - paraphrasing the poet, Boccaccio - “particular truths.” In this latest study – leveraging studies in semiotics, metaphor, and literary theory (among others) - the author proceeds further, showing how artists use the material and the semiotic to illuminate particular truths, and to generate meaning.
Presenters
James CallaghanSenior International Officer, Assistant Vice-President for International Education, Academic Affairs, Georgia College & State University, Georgia, United States
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
2025 Special Focus—From Democratic Aesthetics to Digital Culture
KEYWORDS
Semiotics, Aesthetics, Communication, Creativity, Interpretation, Literary Studies, Meaning, Metaphor, Philosophy
