Subversive Signs by Hal Foster - Response

Subversive Signs by Hal Foster - Response

Quote:

“[…]: each treats the public space, social representation or artistic language in which he or she intervenes as both a target and a weapon.  This shift in practice entails a shift in position: the artist becomes a manipulator of signs more than a producer of art objects, and the viewer an active reader of messages rather than a passive contemplator of the aesthetic or consumer of the spectacular” (Foster 1066). 

Response:

Reading this portion of Hal Foster’s Subversive Signs beautifully sums up his point of view on the refinements of art style in traditional and (post)modernist properties, form and aesthetic.  The artist may be the creator of something, but they are actually manipulators of form.  In one sense of the term, artists typically work with solidified themes and tweak them to create their own messages and images in their artwork.  They put a voice into the visual world of art.  Apart from how a piece of art is read, manipulation comes into play even in the visual (visceral) form of a work of art.  Take a (clay) sculpture for example, its base begins with a block of clay - which to some could already be considered a piece of art - and that block of clay is manipulated by the artist which in turn becomes an artwork.  Building on that notion, many things are considered when creating a work of art.  Most importantly, art speaks differently and is interpreted in many ways when it is in different environments and that is a very important thing to keep in mind.  Apart from that, it is increasingly important to consider the viewer of the art.  They are the active readers, or at least they should be, rather than the passive viewers.  There are many things to consider in the art world - changing notions and shifts in the understanding of aesthetic and form - resulting in how an art piece will be understood and received by its viewers.  

Questions:

1. Is the cultural shift in refinement of style and innovative form a reflection of our society and our infatuation on “new and exciting things”?  The big topic that comes to mind with this makes me think of technology and how everything needs to get better and better; we are never satisfied.  Does that have parallels to the argument of style refinement in art?
2. Is the art world branching out to the outer most limits of expression?
3. At such a pivotal changing point in the world of art, is art becoming a more accessible medium through the openness of conceptual critique and our every day life?