Annie, Poured from Maple Syrup by Edward Ruscha - Essay Example

History of Modern Art Legacy: Annie, Poured from Maple Syrup, 1966 Annie, Poured from Maple Syrup, 1966 is a painting by Edward Ruscha, presenting the word ‘Annie’ painted in the form of a golden maple syrup against a yellow background (Ruscha, n.p.). The word is painted to present some form of three-dimensional view, against a background that seems to be detached from the actual painting. This forms a good start point of the analysis of this artwork, considering that according to Benedetto Croce, the correct definition or art is simply, “art is vision or intuition” (Croce, 1). In this respect, art is some form of expression of a feeling, a dream, an insight, a revelation, a suspicion or a mental picture. All these words have been applied to show the contrasting nature of art, meant to indicate that art is a complex aspect, which is not a single-dimensional perspective where everyone will look at the piece of art and immediately develop its meaning, why it was created and the message it delivers. On the contrary, art is a complex form that requires more indulgence to understand the meaning, and thus explains why it can be interpreted in very conflicting terms, because it is a matter of personal understanding and interpretation, rather than a universal knowledge. In the Annie, Poured from Maple Syrup, 1966, it is not easy to just tell what informed the creation of this work of art. While the general idea is that it is an overflow of maple syrup that develops a word, the question that arises out of it is; why Annie and not any other word? Again, the other question that counters this one is, why not Annie? The complexity in interpretation of this work of art points to the assertion by Benedetto Croce, who “denies, above all, that art is a physical fact” (Croce, 1). Applying this assertion proves the point that this artwork is not a representation of a physical fact, since if it were, then it could be very easy for all the audience to interpret the message of the artwork, and interpret it in similar terms. Nevertheless, the case is different with this artwork, which generates a range of interpretations that are widely varied. Thus, it might be that the only thing that was on the mind of the artist creating the artwork was a feeling of either love or hatred towards Annie, or simply the pure expression of a word that the artist fancy. Therefore, art, as represented in this painting by Edward Ruscha is a multifaceted form of expression, which opens up a discussion regarding what an artwork means to one individual, which might be completely different to the other person. This view is expressed by Benedetto Croce who observes that “the person who enjoys art turns his eyes in the direction which the artist has pointed out to him, peers through the hole which has been opened for him, and reproduces in himself the artists image” (Croce, 1). This simply means that the formation of an artwork is not meant to clearly inform the audience of any theme that the artist is exploring and advancing in the artwork, but to open more avenues for the audience to peep through and then reproduce the meaning of the artwork in his/her own terms. Therefore, in reference to the art Annie, Poured from Maple Syrup, 1966, the deeper issues at stake in this work of art is defining with certainty the process that informed the creation of the work. The possibilities point to the fact that the artist could have developed love for Annie, and that the artwork was an expression of this feeling, considering that art is an intuition, a vision (Croce, 1). On the other hand, the artist could have bad feelings for Annie, and being preoccupied with such feelings, outpouring them through art becomes inevitable. Another possibility could be the fact that the artist could have come across the word in the course of life and developed a love for it, and thus represents the love for the word in the artwork, rather than the love for a person. All these possibilities points to the fundamental principle developed by Benedetto Croce, who defines art as “a sign of universal consent” (Croce, 1). In this respect, the art Annie, Poured from Maple Syrup, 1966 is a sign of universal consent, where different individuals perceiving the art can make their own interpretations, without being limited; since the creator of the art did not define its exact meaning, thus leaving it open to the universal consent of public interpretation. The other dimension that has been developed by Benedetto Croce in relation to the interpretation of artwork is that “art cannot be a utilitarian act” (Croce, 1). This simply that the creator of an art cannot just be so much selfish, as to develop the work of art purely to suit his/her interests, either in the expression of pleasure or pain. Thus, as opposed to the first interpretation of the art Annie, Poured from Maple Syrup, 1966 in terms of either an expression of love, hatred or fancifulness to the word Annie, this dimensions demands that the artwork should be interpreted differently, than just the f expression of feelings that suits the arts emotional needs. Further, Benedetto Croce has expressly asserted that “art considered in terms of its own nature, has nothing to do with the useful or with pleasure and pain” (Croce, 1). In this respect, art is purely a means of uniting the minds and souls of human beings towards the same feeling, and in this case, the artwork by Edward Ruscha simply serves to unite all humans to the culture of modernity, by indicating how the modern times have changed the naming system, by developing the tendency of adding suffixes to the names, so that they suit their modern pronunciation. Therefore, developed from the name ‘Ann’, the artist wants to demonstrate the popular modernism culture that transforms this word into ‘Annie’, through the addition of suffix ‘ie’, to the name, so it can represent the modern times pronunciation. When interpreted from this perspective, the art, Annie, Poured from Maple Syrup, 1966, then serves to unite humanity to the popular culture of modernity. Works Cited Croce, Benedetto. What Is Art?’ 1-5. Print. Ruscha, Edward. ‘Annie, Poured from Maple Syrup’, 1966. Read More