Andrew Brady

Art should be, primarily, a form of communication. An adjunct of language, art can articulate those things which words cannot. Moreover, the most attractive aspect of art is its universal nature; it is able in many instances to utterly transcend the boundaries which language, time or geography can create.
One can use words to describe a particular painting, but if the painting is a successful one, then the words themselves will fall short of wholly imparting the sensation of standing before the painting. Indeed, it seems to me that, providing one is familiar enough with the culture from which the particular painting has arisen, a great test of a painting's success is whether or not it requires any explication through language; to look upon it should be enough. In this sense, I am wary of works which seem to require supporting texts or prior learning to "˜understand' them. Just as the greatest orators can communicate their ideas and thoughts clearly and intelligibly to their audience regardless of that audience's prior knowledge or understanding of the subject and without recourse to handing out supporting documents, so the greatest painters have always been able to communicate to their audiences the themes and ideas wh...