James Hendrick - Heideggers holistic view of art

6. For this blog, the reading of Martin Heidegger will be referenced.  Looking specifically at Heidegger's holistic view of art that includes the “art object, the artists or creator, the intended audience, and the work of art (in the sense of meaning and object)” in terms of a personal artwork should help illustrate the philosophers ideas on Art and beauty.  The ‘Stop’ sign I reference in my thesis paper will serve as the subject again here in condensed version, with regards to Heidegger's artists theory.  Thinking of the object of art in this case, it would be the original stop sign that did exist before the transformative process.  This could be the specific stop sign in question prior to the event, or the concept of Stop signs in general, the form of ‘Stop’ sign.  This object holds a certain meaning for this culture, and is universally understood.  The artist of this work was myself and the group of people who helped me shoot at the canvas.  This is crucial to understanding the work as a whole; awareness of myself and friends as gun advocates holds relevance.  The audience for this piece would have to be myself, or the group of people that took part in the activity.  Again, this is very relevant as the effect that piece of art had was within the individuals who understood the transformed meaning of the sign.  The work of art holds a meaning much different from the original, intended meaning and serves as a symbol of this transformation.  The real effect of the work is subjective, just as the audience and artist were.  The sign on the other hand held universal meaning before, and probably no meaning now for others who may only guess at the meaning of the piece.