National Art Education Association

Review: [untitled]
Author(s): B. Stephen Carpenter, II
Source: Studies in Art Education, Vol. 47, No. 1 (Fall, 2005), pp. 87-91
Published by: National Art Education Association
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Copyright2005 by the StudiesinArtEducation
NationalArtEducationAssociation A Journalof IssuesandResearch
2005, 47(1), 87-91

BOOK REVIEW
Interpreting Art: Reflecting, Wondering, and

Responding
Terry Barrett (2003). Boston,MA: McGraw-Hill. 262 pages.
47 b/w illustrations,24 color plates. ISBN 0-7674-1648-1.

Reviewed by B. Stephen Carpenter, II

Texas A&M University

Art is Barrett's most recent book,

Interpreting preceded by Criticizing Correspondence
Art: Understanding theContemporary (1994); Criticizing Photographs:An regarding this review
Introduction toUnderstanding Images (2000); and Talking About Student may be addressed to
the reviewerat
Art (1997). Perhaps more directly in Interpreting
Artthan in his previous
bscarpenter@tamu.edu.
books, Barrett encourages the construction of interpretations that build

upon the viewer's careful analysis of characteristics and symbolic refer

ences within and outside works of art. He wants the viewer to
actively ask
in the process of a work of art, toward the of
questions analyzing goal
Toward this end, he infuses each chapter
producing plausible meanings.
with references to his of interpretation that are summarized and
principles
clarified in the final Readers familiar with Barrett's
chapter. previous
books will no doubt find overlaps and parallels. Such connections and
are to be if one reads this book within the context of
overlaps expected
the author's of assisting viewers, teachers, and students to
larger project
skills to appreciate and effectively embrace art criticism and the
develop
of works of art and visual culture.
interpretation
In the Introduction, Barrett offers, "The ultimate of the book
purpose
is to look at art and other with a sense of wonder
help you phenomena
and curiosity and then to satisfy your curiosity with informed interpretive
about what you xv). This statement embodies the
thinking perceive" (p.
tone of the text. Barrett readers to become curious viewers of
encourages
works of art, images, visual culture, and artifacts and not settle for instant

responses to what see. He that we

they suggests through interpretation
not learn about but also about the who
only objects people interpret
them. For he offers the destruction of ancient statues of Buddha
example,
inAfghanistan by theTaliban in 2001 to illustrate the consequences of
in this case a of the
interpretation, disputed interpretation Holy Qur'an.
In 1, Barrett examines the of several works of
Chapter process interpreting
art same artist, Rene
by the Magritte. Chapter
2
explores issues
surrounding
the interpretation of a
single work of art, Edouard Manet's A Bar at the

Folies-Bergere. Chapter 3 takes on and

religiously, sexually, ideologically,
racially controversial art, topics that frequently surface in art criticism and
art education courses that encourage the of contemporary
investigation

Studies inArt Education 87

 B. Stephen Carpenter, II

works. The author takes up the task of and

challenging interpreting
appreciating abstract painting in Chapter 4. Having already declared in
the Introduction that the book has aWestern bias, inChapter 5 Barrett
examines how a viewer about works of art that are
might go interpreting
"old or foreign" (p. Ill) by focusing on works by Giovanni Bellini,
Titian, and Johannes Vermeer, and the Temple Dharna Vihara in
6 centers on the between medium and
Ranakpur. Chapter relationship

meaning as typifiedthrough the photographs of SallyMann. Chapter 7 is

the most diverse, as it offers various of visual art
perhaps interpretations
and culture, in the form of book and a short story about an
excerpts
an of Rain, a
Edward Hopper painting, interpretation dance by Bebe
Miller, and of interpretations of comics, "bad words," television
examples
commercials, tableware, and a Stone
Disney, buildings, Rolling magazine
cover. Barrett summarizes a set of for interpretation in
principles Chapter
8 that also appear at various the book, among which
points throughout
include: "Artworks are about of artworks
always something"; "Meanings
are not limited to what their artists intended them to mean"; and "Some
are better than others" The text builds a
interpretations (p. 198). complex
but clear set of examples of how these
principles
of interpretation work in

coordination with each other.

Many readers of this reviewmay already be using this book with their
own students in art education, museum education, or similar courses. In

Artwith a class of junior-levelpreservice

the fallof 2004, I used Interpreting
art education students in a secondary course as a
practicum supplemen
tary text. These students one full year of art studio and art
complete
history
courses before entering the art education program in their
sopho
more student to the book were
year. The responses supportive.
Barrett's book offered the students of art, and
issues, works
specific
which and extend.
interpretations
about they could comment, challenge,
Some student comments revealed a need to know more and read more

about art criticism and aesthetics. In this way, Barrett's text offers readers

a means to measure their own levels of comprehension, comfort, and

into critical discourse, aesthetics, and interpretation. 2, In

insight Chapter
for example, students talked about Manet's A Bar at the
my painting,
and more about the woman in the image and
Folies-Bergere, specifically
the related multiple over the years of her, the mirror, and
interpretations
the men depicted
in the work.
Chapter 3 also inspired interesting discus
sions as students asked questions and in artifacts, and
brought images,
articles related to the issues discussed in this
magazine chapter, particu
Chris Ofili's controversial art. were excited to
larly about religiously They
talk about and multiple a few students
pluralism interpretations. Initially,
whether Barrett what he set out to do in
questioned accomplished
7, but most were motivated attention the chapter paid to
Chapter by the
visual culture. Barrett's discussion about a 1986 McDonald's television

88 Studies inArt Education

 REVIEW: Interpreting Art: Reflecting, Wondering, and Responding

commercial conversation about similar contemporary ads because

inspired
almost none of the students were old to have ever seen them on
enough
TV. the end of the class discussion about this those students
By chapter,
who took a dubious stance seemed satisfied with Barrett's
initially
approach.

Dispersed throughout the book are examples of individual and

art critics,
communal interpretations by school children, college students,
and others. Without Barrett shares of how a
being prescriptive, examples
viewer an artwork, of visual culture, or artifact
might approach example
for the purpose of interpretation. The is that Barrett has
point compiled
an array of encounters viewers have with works of art, but
possible might
his are far from exhaustive. The student about
offerings writing samples
Magritte's work in
Chapter
1 and the range in
Chapter 7 are good exam

ples. Readers who are looking for a model of interpretationwill be disap

pointed. That is, Barrett offers insights into his methodology and the
results of such an without a method, or rules
approach dictating stages,
for
interpretation.
This book is easy to read, but the ideas are neither
nor
simple superfi
cial. Barrett is a writer, and the text he readers
good throughout engages
in a with his process as he a work of art. In
journey thought interprets
almost the same way talk to themselves as walk down the
people they
street, search for a misplaced object,
or check to make sure have their
they
keys before leaving
the house, Barrett
carefully recounts, step by step, his
first encounters with a work of art, his initial
feelings, his questions, his
and his revisions to these His tone is
investigations, subsequent thoughts.
not but somewhat in very much the same manner
overbearing comforting,
conversations and discussions about works of art in a
gallery setting might
be.
"Appreciating Scully's White Robe Out Loud" in
Chapter
4 is a
good
of Barrett us his
example walking through interpretive process.
Barrett addresses various of without
methodologies interpretation
jargon. He makes the and discussions art
complex important argued by
criticism scholars and aestheticians such as Noel Carroll, Arthur Danto,
Umberto Eco, Nelson Goodman, Richard and others
Rorty, digestible
and manageable for the typical reader.My initial
reading of this book
brought back memories of my first encounters with Eco's Limits of
Interpretation (1990), Bann and Allen's InterpretingContemporaryArt
(1991), Goodman's Languages ofArt (1968), and Danto's Beyond the
Brillo Box (1992). What Marcia Eaton's Basic Issues in Aesthetics (1988)
does for aesthetics, Barrett's Art does for
Interpreting interpretation. Just
as Eaton's text is a suitable entry into more dense aesthetics texts and

anthologies likeDickie's Aesthetics (1971), Barrett offers a formidable

overview and for students of art, art art educa
gateway history, aesthetics,
tion, museum education, and humanities to more theoretical and detailed
texts in these
disciplines.

Studies inArt Education 89

B. Stephen Carpenter, II

Art, Petts (2004) offersa critique that

In another review of Interpreting
to be based on a rooted in aesthetic In a some
appears perspective theory.
what tone, Petts notes that students of aesthetics "will not
condescending
find detailed analysis of the issue of 'interpretation' in philosophical
aesthetics, but nevertheless, there is sufficient here to warrant their

interest, if only to see how on are

philosophic positions interpretation
used by 'an art educator' like Barrett" (pp. 197-198). Although much of
Petts's review addresses a lack of philosophical
three-page perceived
substance, he is simultaneously supportive of the foundation of
pragmatic
Barrett's book:

These doubts at the book's success as a

outstanding philosophic nag
to works of art. It does, I believe, leave
practical guide interpreting
one more able to weave one's own and values
personal experiences
into the and work of art,
scholarly contextualizing interpreting
how events and concerns voiced in
through showing everyday
can one's relation with
ordinary, non-specialized language ground
an artwork and work with more art
subsequently developed
historical and other critical tools. (Petts,2004, p. 199)
Petts that the book does not offer a definition or discus
correctly argues
sion about the ontology of art per se. It does, however, offer a clear
goal:
If thisbook is successful,all readers,no matter the discipline from
which theyapproach works of art,will find themselves encouraged
and motivated to join ongoing and fascinatingdiscussions about
works of art and what they reveal about the world and people's
of it. Each reader will quickly come to believe that he or
experiences
she has unique and valuable to offer about works of art and
insights
the experiences they engender, (p. xvi)
Toward this end, readers of this book should come away empowered by
the ideas that works of art can support multiple interpretations; the act of
is based on active and of works of
interpretation inquiry; interpretations
art can be individual or communal endeavors.

Barrett's final principle for interpretation reminds readers "Good inter

invite us to see for ourselves and continue on our own" 227).

pretations (p.
He makes the between what the knows
explicit relationship interpreter
and what is known research. That is, by example, he points out
through
that are more than or individual to
interpretations opinions responses
what we see and that meaningful and interpreters go
interpretations
Barzman
beyond. In the final paragraph of the book, Barrett agreeswith
as he asks "readers not to accept with the
(1994) finality interpretations
here and elsewhere but, rather, to engage critically and to
already given
of Barrett's
produce interpretations of their own" (p. 228). Readers book,
this review, and others should follow the same advice.

90 Studies inArt Education

 REVIEW: Interpreting Art: Reflecting, Wondering, and
Responding

References

Bann, S., & Allen,W., art.New York: Harper Collins,

(Eds.). (1991). Interpretingcontemporary
Inc.

Barrett,T. (1997). Talking about studentart.Worcester, MA: Davis Publications, Inc.

Barrett,T. (1994). Criticizing art: Understanding the contemporary.
Mountain View, CA: Mayfield

Publishing Company.
Barrett,T. (2000). Criticizingphotographs:An introductionto understandingimages.Mountain
View, CA: Mayfield Publishing Company.

Barzman, K. E. (1994). Beyond the canon: Feminists, postmodernism, and the historyof art.
Journal ofAestheticsand Art Criticism, 52(3), 327-339.
Danto, A. (1992). Beyond theBrillo box: The visual arts inpost-historicalperspective.New York:
Farrar, Straus, and Giroux.

Dickie, G. (1971). Aesthetics:An introduction.Indianapolis, IN: Pegasus.

Eaton, M. M. (1988). Basic issuesin aesthetics.Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.

Eco, U. (1990). Limits of interpretation.

Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press.
Goodman, N. (1968). Languages ofart.An approach toa theoryof symbols.Indianapolis, IN:
Bobbs-Merrill.

Petts, J. (2004). Interpretingart:Reflecting,wondering, and responding. BritishJournal of

Aesthetics,44(2), 197-199.

Studies inArt Education 91