Week 9 - Phenomenology

Leap into the Void

Artistic action by Yves Klein

Photographed by Harry Shunk

Photographed by János Kender

Yves Klein

1960

Meaning, Identity, Embodiment: The Uses of Merleau-Ponty’s Phenomenology in Art History by Amelia Jones covered one of the most important topics of art in my mind. Jones explores how Merleau-Ponty's exploration of art and identity helps us understand the way we view art. She argues that viewing art is not just visual, but an experience. We bring our past experience and life with us everywhere we go, and it has a massive impact on the way we view the world, including art. Jones says that the body plays a critical role in how we engage and react to artworks. She applies Merleau-Ponty's concepts once again to explain that art can bring up ideas like gender, culture, and personal identity. This allows us to have a more in depth experience while viewing art, while also getting more out of the experience because you can use it as a self reflection of your identity. Jones advises a phenomenological approach to art history that recognizes the fact that viewers participate with their bodies and past experiences. Art needs to be viewed as an experience which opens our eyes to our understanding of the art itself, and the understanding of the viewer's identity.

In the photograph above, phenomenology which is an approach that focuses on the study of experience and consciousness from the first-person perspective, is very obvious. It makes the viewer reflect on the way they experience the world around them. It does not give any explanation or possible interpretation, so it is up to the viewer to understand it, or not, for themselves. The goal is to understand how things appear to us in our conscious experience, rather than what they "actually" are in objective terms.

The way that we discuss an artist's biography and intentions reflect on our own identity, biases, and preconceived notions in multiple ways. It reflects our own identity through personal connections and related values and beliefs. How we relate to an artist's background can shine light onto our own experiences, therefore making us relate to their art more. We can dive into artists' intentions deeper when we know their personal values and beliefs. If we have similar values and beliefs, we are more likely to focus on those aspects of the artist's work and therefore enjoy it/relate to it more. Artist's biography and intentions can also reveal our bias. We sometimes unconsciously enjoy certain parts of an artist's story that aligns with our biases while overlooking others. Our biases can also be revealed through cultural significance. If we prioritize certain cultures over others, we are obviously going to gravitate towards those expressing one culture over another. Discussions about an artist's biography and intentions are not just about the artist and their work, it is deeply affected by our identities and biases. This realization can make us reflect on our judgment and biases.

The idea that the mind and body cannot be separated is a very interesting concept to me.We must look deeper into the connection between our mind and body. Our senses play a huge role in how we make sense of the world around us. Without our senses, we would not be able to gather information as easily, which could have an impact on our thoughts and decisions. This would also affect out understanding of the world greatly. We learn a lot from our experiences and experiences are simply our reactions to our environment. This can be tied to emotions and certain objects. The understanding of the connection of the mind and body is so important because it can also show our relationship with others. Our interactions with the world are sometimes physical, but also sometimes emotional, or a mix of both. Our emotions are most definitely part of the mind and the body because they effect both greatly. The idea that the mind and body cannot be separated explains how much of an impact sensory experiences have along with cognitive experiences. This makes me think that thinking from this perspective can help us understand not only ourselves, but the world we live in as well.

Reading Jone's article and diving into the discussion questions has given me insight into a topic that I would have never thought of before. I will not look at art in the same way after this because I am aware now that experiencing art pulls from our past and impacts our future.