More on Context
Read this short article and watch the video, which explores the key dimensions of context as it differs between artists and viewers. How do the contextual factors differ between viewers and artists?
Context refers to everything about the artwork that may have influenced the artwork or the maker (artist). This includes when the work was made; where it was made (culturally and geographically); why it was made; and other relevant details or information.
Contextualism – looking at the cultural context of an artwork – can deepen and/or improve our understanding of an artwork. Still, it may or may not change our first impressions, and it does not affect the formal analysis. We can become more informed with some additional contextual information about the time, culture, and maker or artist of an artwork. All artworks exist in a context; more accurately, all artworks exist in multiple contexts.
Historical Context
Time is the most basic and first context we consider. The question "When in time?" is also related to where in time and has considerations related to context.
Art and Artist Context
The context for the artist or creator includes:
- Their culture, their worldview (where they grew up, their family values, etc.)
- Their place; geography (for example, city, rural, home, traveling)
- Their worldview, religion, beliefs, etc.
Viewer Context
Context also has to do with the viewer. For example: When a person in
Paris in the 1890s looked at a Van Gogh painting, how that painting
looked and felt and seemed to her was very different from an American
viewer looking at the same painting today.
When thinking about a viewer's context, it is useful to think about
the following elements since they can all affect how we see or respond
to an artwork:
- Time
- Culture
- Nationality
- Gender
Source: Lumen Learning, https://courses.lumenlearning.com/atd-sac-artappreciation/chapter/reading-context-is-part-of-when-and-where/
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