Reading 2

I personally think that this article is very relevant to contemporary artists in its statements about how artists, current or historical, imbue their works with meaning. Art essentially transforms raw materials, which have their own merit, into new entities. In doing so, it often creates a new space or makes a statement about a concept. The article makes a distinction between work of conceit and work of metaphor as two methods of achieving this. The difference between the two, as I read it, is the difference between illusion and allusion. A work of conceit embodies one idea and assumes it fully, taking on that identity with unwavering conviction, and is essentially a work of illusion. It takes a concept or image at face value and tries to recreate it. A work of metaphor, on the other hand, may allude to its surrounding environment or aspects of the human experience but ultimately retains its material identity (i.e. as a pot) while referencing these external influences and interpreting them. For instance, a metaphorical pot may be a vessel that alludes to a concept through imagery or form, but doesn’t try to altogether recreate it. 

The work of a metaphor interests me more than the work of conceit. To me, a metaphorical work exists in the larger context of the world around it, like the Chinese dragon vase which, through allusion to cultural iconography, makes a statement about cosmic balance, sexuality, and the human experience. It interprets and exists within a larger cultural context. This is more compelling to me than works that essentially try to become something else altogether, like the porcelain box that precisely imitates an apple or Rococo figurines which strive to create an isolated environment and exist in the enclosed area like a stage. Contemporary artists can still use these principles to imbue their works with meaning to a greater or lesser degree of impact. The most powerful contemporary work, in my opinion, exists in the open space of metaphor and can address existing social mores, ideas, and contexts without making an absolute, literal representation. While good art can have aspects of the conceit--for instance it may create a surrealist or fanciful alternate reality--it almost always has some connection to the world of the artist and viewer. 

I think conceit and metaphor are also important to consider when referencing historical art forms or even contemporary influences. Modern potters, for instance, create better pots when they look at historical forms and draw conclusions about them and then allow this influence to inform their own ideas about form and content. A potter who strives to recreate historical vessels word for word, or even copies the work of another contemporary artist verbatim, is less successful in the space that they make with their own art.