Art Theories That Help Answer The Question “What Is Text-Based Art?
This brief studio research paper considers and integrates some of the theories of meaning of visual art based on the ideas and writings of Rosalind Krauss (United States), Jacques Derrida (France), Xu Bing (China), Peter Schjeldahl (United States), and Erwin Panofsky (Germany). This group is by no means exhaustive, but they were chosen for this initial research because each has articulated theories relating to artist-viewer meaning-making, including theories of interpretation, ways of evaluating meaning in visual artworks, and similar. The question presented by this paper is whether these theories help answer the question “What Is Text-Based Art?”
The interplay between art theory, meaning-making, and text-based art.
Text-based art, also known as art with language, is an art form that uses words, letters, or characters as the primary visual element. This type of art has been a subject of interest for various art theorists, critics, and language theorists. This essay compares the views of Rosalind Krauss, Jacques Derrida, Peter Schjeldahl, and Erwin Panofsky about text-based art in relation to viewer interpretation, ambiguity, meaning-making, and deconstruction. This overview briefly summarizes their theories and thinking related to art with language.
The art theories of Rosalind Krauss applied to text-based art.
The art critic and art historian Rosalind Krauss, in her essay "Notes on the Index: Seventies Art in America," discusses text-based art in the context of conceptual art. Krauss argues that the use of text in conceptual art is a way to subvert the traditional notion of art as an object of contemplation. Instead, the use of language in art turns the viewer into a reader, who is expected to decode the meaning of the work. Krauss notes that text-based art is characterized by a "paradoxical condition of presence and absence," as the words on the surface of the artwork are physically present, but their meaning is not immediately clear. For Krauss, this ambiguity is an essential element of text-based art, as it requires the viewer to participate in the meaning-making process actively. In other words, Rosalind Krauss, who is also a professor at Columbia University in New York, and a leading figure in the broader field of modern and contemporary art theory, had an analytic approach that emphasized both the ideas of French post-structuralist thinkers, like Jacques Derrida, discussed below, as well as the importance of the role of the viewer in the interpretation and meaning-making of art. In her theory of analysis, a work of art is not fixed or determined exclusively by the intentions of the artist alone, but rather is also constructed through and by the viewer's interaction with the work. This arguably had three parts. First, in terms of aesthetics, Krauss might be interested in the ways that text-based art expressly challenges traditional notions of visual art (in all forms, including both figurative and abstract) and expands the theoretical and concrete possibilities of what art itself can be. She would likely emphasize the importance of considering the formal qualities of text-based art, such as work’s use of typography, materials, and composition, in addition to its substantive content. Second, in terms of a theoretical perspective, Krauss might be most interested in the ways that text-based art intersects with language and literature, and how it engages with issues of meaning itself, and also the nature of communication itself. She might draw on these to explore the ways that—and reasons why—language is inherently unstable and subject to multiple interpretations. Third, in terms of the possibilities of text-based art for meaning, Krauss might be interested in the ways that text-based art can be used to explore an unusually wide range of subjects and themes, from political and social commentary to personal expression, human feelings, and human emotions and intuitions. She might likely see text-based art as both a theoretically and practically valuable form of artistic expression that challenges traditional boundaries between art forms—and also successfully invites viewers to actively engage both with and in the meaning-making of text-based work.
Deconstruction, Jacques Derrida, and text-based art.
Jacques Derrida, the prominent French philosopher and literary critic across multiple disciplines, who made watershed contributions to Western philosophy as the conceptual founder of deconstructionism, has considered both texts in general (such as literary texts and political texts) as well as text-based art. (Very broadly, for purposes of this very brief artist’s studio paper, deconstruction is an analytic or mode of thinking useful for criticizing not only literary texts and philosophical texts, but also societal and political constructs, especially in an attempt to find, or create, concepts of justice in those texts and constructs.) According to Derrida, through application of a deconstruction analysis, the meaning of a text or writing is never fixed, because there are always ambiguities and thus multiple interpretations. In the context of text-based art, as opposed to, say, a literary text, Derrida’s deconstructionism posits that the words on the surface of the artwork can be read in different ways, depending on the viewer's context, cultural background, and personal experiences. For Derrida, this multiplicity of meanings—and the cultural and identity reasons contributing to the multiplicity—is an essential element of text-based art, because it challenges the traditional notion of a singular, fixed meaning in a sequence of letters or characters that make a word or a word-phrase.
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Applied here, through the analytic of deconstruction, Derrida might see text-based art as a profound vehicle by which to questions the very idea of meaning itself, a question transcending any one language or any one aesthetic, and approaching questions of the universal. More specifically, he might especially see text-based art as being able to highlight and explore all of the multiple and often contradictory interpretations that can be read from, and applied to, almost any given textual or language-based statement, be it as short as a single phrase or as long and complex as an entire novel—and by extension, almost any given idea or view that may be expressed in those texts.
As the founder of deconstructionism in all its applications, Derrida would likely be most interested in text artists who are most adept at avoiding the didactic and declarative, and rather are able to experiment with ambiguity, multiple interpretations, and viewer interaction for meaning-making to its fullest, and thereby challenging traditional modes of artistic expression that focus only on the intent of the artist, and not the participation of the viewer in the act of interpretation. As such, Derrida might see the influential American text-based artist Jenny Holzer as at the vanguard of the possibilities of text-based art, given that Holzer’s public space installations worldwide, both large and small, offer viewers intentionally ambiguous phrases and sentences that are not just open to multiple readings, but which also invite those multiple readings in some of the most profound areas of human thinking, interactions, and questions of morality and ethics.
Peter Schjeldahl, an American art critic, has a different perspective on text-based art. In his essay "Language Games," Schjeldahl argues that text-based art is often "overrated" and that it can be "tedious" to read. Schjeldahl notes that text-based art can be interesting when it plays with the conventions of language or uses language in a surprising way. However, he argues that many text-based artworks are "predictable" and lack the visual appeal of other art forms.
Erwin Panofsky, a German art historian, has contributed to the discourse on text-based art through his theory of iconography. According to Panofsky, an artwork can be interpreted through an analysis of its symbolic content. In the case of text-based art, Panofsky argues that the words on the surface of the artwork can be seen as symbols that convey a specific meaning. Panofsky's approach to text-based art is more traditional than that of Krauss or Derrida, as he emphasizes the importance of the artist's intention in creating the work.
In addition to these four theorists, there are many other art theorists, critics, and language theorists who have contributed to the discourse on text-based art. For example, Lawrence Weiner, an American artist, has created many text-based artworks that challenge the traditional notion of art as an object of contemplation. Weiner's works often involve simple statements written on the wall or other surfaces, such as "A LINE BETWEEN TWO POINTS IS A LINE BETWEEN TWO POINTS" or "SMASH THE STATE." These statements are meant to be read and understood by the viewer, who is expected to actively engage with the work.
Another example is Xu Bing, a Chinese artist, who has created many text-based artworks that play with the conventions of language. Xu Bing's work "Book from the Sky"
Adam Daley Wilson
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is a massive installation of books and scrolls, filled with thousands of characters that resemble Chinese writing but are completely made up. The work challenges the viewer's assumptions about language and meaning, as the characters are unfamiliar and do not convey any specific message.
In conclusion, the views of Krauss, Derrida, Schjeldahl, and Panofsky on text-based art highlight the various ways that art theorists and critics approach this type of artwork. Krauss and Derrida emphasize the importance of ambiguity and multiplicity of meaning, while Schjeldahl is more skeptical of the form. Panofsky's approach is more traditional, emphasizing the artist's intention and the symbolic content of the work. However, the contributions of artists such as Weiner and Xu Bing demonstrate the wide range of possibilities within text-based art, challenging viewers to think critically about language, meaning, and interpretation.
Separately, the American art critic, poet, and educator Peter Schjeldahl might focus the risks of text-based art limitations while also seeing its possibilities. Specifically, he at times wrote that some text-based artists might lapse into the limitations inherent in all language forms, in that, depending on how approached, language-based art can be difficult for a viewer to engage with if it becomes didactic, or narrowly focused on teaching, telling, explaining, or otherwise becoming declarative. He has also written that text-based art can lapse into being overly intellectual, at least to his critical tastes, by prioritizing a substantive message over the viewer’s aesthetic experience with a work. He has also noted in his writings that text-based art for some viewers can be difficult to read or interpret, particularly where there are barriers across languages or references.
With the above risks and potential limitations in mind, Schjeldahl has also written that the promise and possibilities of text-based art exist at their fullest where an artist uses a given language and the forms of letters, characters, symbols, and words not just for expression of concrete subjects and themes, like social justice or specific political commentary, but also for reflexive questions looking inwards and introspectively on issues relevant to art itself, and language itself, including questions such as (1) what are the boundaries of visual art and language in relation to meaning; (2) where are the lines between didactic declarations and ambiguities that invite viewer interpretation; and (3) whether there are overlapping spaces in text-based art that are not just intellectually engaging but also emotionally and even spiritually engaging, even across borders and language differences.
in Pakistan as well as South Asia. Mirza might view text-based art as an art form and as a medium that provides a means of exploring the relationships between languages, cultures, and identities in Pakistan and its society. As with critics discussed above, he might see text-based art as a way for artists to challenge not just contemporary societal norms in Pakistan but also traditional notions of Pakistani art and culture, as well as to create spaces for marginalized voices in Pakistan in relation to Pakistan itself as well as to both elsewhere in South Asia and the broader world.
The French literary critic and philosopher Roland Barthes, who has written on semiotics, the study of anything that can make meaning through any of the human senses, has, relevant here, written on the relationship between semiotics, language, and culture. He might see text-based art as a means of exploring the cultural and political significance of language in making meanings, and also exploring how and why those meanings might be interpreted by different recipients the same way or different ways. Also relevant here, many of his writings appear to emphasize the possibility of, and the intellectual utility of, the ability for text-based art to create multiple meanings, ambiguities, and interpretations, even the simplest of texts, including even short phrases, one word, or even a character-symbol—or even a sound of a word or a letter. Loosely from his writings, Barthes would arguably see the most meaningful of text-based artworks as those being made by artists who experiment with language in a self-reflexive manner, inwardly and introspectively, using language to question the very nature and qualities and possibilities of language itself, such as the influential American text-based artist Lawrence Weiner, particularly as to his text works that provide written instructions to viewers on how to create a specific piece of art as an theoretical exercise and experiment in the exploration of language itself and, the ability of language structures to make, record, and transmit meanings to recipients.
Erwin Panofsky, the German-Jewish art historian, who wrote about the modern study of iconography, the Renaissance, and meaning in the visual arts, including the 1955 book “Meaning in the Visual Arts,” might have used his three strata for evaluating subject matter or meaning of text-based art. For Panofsky, his process was to look at and consider (1) the primary or natural subject matter—what we see at first; then (2) the secondary or conventional subject matter—the meaning of what we are seeing, including its references; and then (3) the tertiary or intrinsic meaning or content—such as, why did the artist decide to create the art in just this way, and what are other signals as to complete meaning? Panofsky might consider this third level, or third strata, to be most important in text-based art, because it might allow the viewer to look at text based art not as an isolated movement in art, but as the product of the environment in which is developed in a particular place over time and history—in order to answer the ultimate questions, for a piece of art, including for a piece of text-based art, of what it all means—and, most importantly, echoing Rosalind Krauss, what are all the possible things that it could mean when the viewer completes the work?