Since semiotics involves no foundational theoretical assumptions, why do museums typically interpret an artwork in one way? Shouldn’t there be multiple? Is there a way to interpret an artwork many ways without personal preferences clouding the system of meaning? As I mentioned in a previous post, curators have unintentional biases. Isn’t that a personal preference, even if unintended?
How does language/word choice influence a person’s interpretation of an artwork? What about a translation? Does font choice have influence? Does comic sans transform the information from one of reliability to one of discredit?
What interpretations from the past influence an interpretation today? What new information influences the system of meaning? (Chuck Close and presidential portrait)
Can sign and symbol be used interchangeably? Can “semiotics” and “system of of meaning” be used interchangeably?
Its interesting how a artist’s name can evoke a system of meaning, like “van Gogh” being characterized as an index or an icon. I never considered this association.
