Youtube Exercise » English Grammar Homework

B2-C1

Who decides what art means? – Hayley Levitt

TED-Ed

980K views 7 years ago

Warm-up Questions

From the title, what do you think the video will say about who decides the meaning of art?
Do you think a viewer’s personal experience can change what a work of art means?
When you look at a painting, do you usually want to know what the artist intended? Why or why not?

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Who decides what art means? – Hayley Levitt

A painting, two interpretations, and the question of intention (00:00 – 01:12)

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1. What do the two viewers disagree about in the painting?

What the colors and dots symbolize
Whether the painting is famous or not
Whether the painting is technically well made
How much the painting should cost

2. What does the internet information reveal about the painting?

It is a replica of the artist’s first grade art project
It was made by several artists together
It was painted during a war
It was created to protest global warming

3. What key question does the speaker raise after learning the artist’s intention?

Whether bright colors are always symbolic
Whether museums should ban replicas
Whether only experts should judge art
Whether you are wrong to enjoy meaning the artist didn’t intend

Who decides what art means? – Hayley Levitt

The intentional fallacy: why intention might be irrelevant (01:12 – 02:23)

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1. What name is given to the belief that valuing an artist’s intentions is misguided?

The aesthetic proof
The intentional fallacy
The author’s guarantee
The middle ground

2. What is one reason given for why intention may be hard to use when studying art?

Viewers cannot have emotional reactions to art
Artists always lie about their work
Museums refuse to provide information
Artists are no longer living or never recorded their intentions

3. In the “pudding” comparison, what matters most according to the argument?

The ingredients’ price
Whether the pudding works in flavor/texture for the eater
The chef’s intentions
Whether the recipe is traditional

Who decides what art means? – Hayley Levitt

Against the fallacy, and a middle ground: intention as part of the puzzle (02:23 – 04:19)

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1. In the beach example, what makes the marks in the sand meaningful as a poem?

They are discovered at sunrise
They rhyme perfectly
They were intentionally created by a human
They are written in a famous language

2. What does the “cigarette and a match” example illustrate?

Only experts can interpret meaning correctly
People often misunderstand simple requests
It is rude to offer a lighter instead of matches
Intentions help determine how we understand words in conversation

3. What conclusion does the speaker give about artistic interpretation?

It is a complex web and probably won’t offer a definitive answer
Only the audience decides what art means
Only the artist decides what art means in all cases
There is one final correct theory that solves the debate

Who decides what art means? – Hayley Levitt

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1. Which position best matches the idea of the intentional fallacy?

The audience must always agree with the artist
Only critics can decide meaning
Art has no meaning at all
An artist’s intention is irrelevant to interpreting the work

2. Which option describes the “only intention creates meaning” view presented in the video?

Meaning depends only on the materials used
Every interpretation is equally acceptable
Meaning depends only on popularity
The artist’s intended meaning is the only possible interpretation

3. What is the “middle ground” approach described in the video?

Intention is irrelevant, but biography is essential
Interpretation should be decided by internet votes
Intention always overrides the artwork itself
Intention is one important piece of a larger puzzle

Discussion Questions

Discuss the ideas from this video

Who decides what art means? – Hayley Levitt

After learning the artist’s original intention, do you think your interpretation should change? Why or why not?
Is it fair to say that “all interpretations are equally acceptable”? What limits (if any) should exist?
Can you think of a time when you misunderstood someone’s intention in conversation? How is that similar to interpreting art?
Should museums and galleries provide the artist’s intention next to artworks, or let viewers decide on their own?