the signifier is always more or less then the signified - and the signified is always more or less then the signifer because the two are of a different order and each accrues to their selves differences that by necessity cause a miss alignment - the successful work of art takes this into account and attempts to curtail the surplus by creating correlations rather than simple equivalencies
____________________________________________ Saul Ostrow | Visual Arts & Technologies Environment Chair, Sculpture Voice: 216-421-7927 | [EMAIL PROTECTED] | http://www.cia.edu/ The Cleveland Institute of Art | 11141 East Boulevard, Cleveland, OH 44106 ________________________________________ From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Monday, November 03, 2008 2:40 PM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: "Certainty" In a message dated 11/1/08 10:26:07 PM, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: > Is fuzziness a certainty in art? > I'm not sure what you mean. One interpretation might be this: "When a creator produces a work, is it always the case that what arises in a contemplator's mind will be to some degree different from what was in the creator's mind?" I say yes -- to some degree, always. If what you meant is, "When someone contemplates a work, will the notion that arises in his mind always be to some degree indeterminate, indefinite, and unstable?" Again -- yes. Or you may say, "I'm not talking about notions in anybody's minds. I'm talking about fuzziness IN THE WORK." I'm not sure what to cite as "fuzziness in a work", as distinguished from fuzziness in the notion occasioned by contemplating the work. And certainly what one just might possibly want to stipulate is fuzziness IN a Beethoven sonata would be different from that in a Wallace Stevens poem, or a Pinter play, or a Robert Altman movie or a Rothko painting. Note: If we're talking about fuzziness IN THE WORK as distinguished from in anyone's NOTION, this is not an instance when "fuzzy FOR/TO WHOM" applies. It's also possible someone might argue there can be no such thing as fuzziness in, say, a fixed painting. Every line, every drop of paint, is determinate, definite, and stable -- even though they are all multiplex. Besides: Consider: We should never ask how many parts a thing has, because "parts" are arbitrary stipulates: How many "parts" does your face have?" ************** Plan your next getaway with AOL Travel. Check out Today's Hot 5 Travel Deals! (http://pr.atwola.com/promoclk/100000075x1212416248x1200771803/aol?redir=http ://travel.aol.com/discount-travel?ncid=emlcntustrav00000001)
