Reaction to "Against Interpretation"

Posted By: Casey LaChapelle


To be completely honest, while I was reading this article I had no idea what to think. I was getting lost in the authors translations of other people, historical time periods, etc. I was beginning to wonder how I was even going to respond to the article, until I read the first paragraph in part five of the article.

"In most modern instances, interpretation amounts to the philistine refusal to leave the work of art alone. Real art has the capacity to make us nervous. By reducing the work of art to its content and then interpreting that, one tames the work of art. Interpretation makes art manageable, comformable. "

After reading this section, it clicked for me, because this is what I do. I am so taken back by art that in order to make sense of it all, I have to put my own meaning into every work that I see. Every single piece of art that is put up in class, whether it is a urinal, a shark split in two, or random canvasses with paint thrown all over them. In my mind I am always trying to to interpret what the artist was thinking.

This article made me realize that there doesn't always need to be a true description on art. Why can't the artist just make something that doesn't need to be thought out and put into a distinct category? Why do I need to make sense of everything all the time? Through reading this article I realized that in order to get the full experience of a piece, just let it come alive and enjoy it for what it is.