Interpreting a painting is similar to a therapist interpreting a patient’s behaviors and beliefs.

Hearing about the artist’s motivations and intentions from the artist adds to the experience of the artwork.

The Other Art Fair rewards the woman who has something to say and refuses to sit behind her own canvas.

“I remember being at a dinner party a while back and there was an abstract painting on the wall. I kind of liked it. Whatever you’re supposed to get from art, it was happening. And the host of the party came up to me and he said, “A machine painted that.” And I was impressed with the technology, but whatever I was feeling about that painting was gone.” — Aaron Sorkin, New York Times, September 27, 2026

“I remember being at a dinner party a while back and there was an abstract painting on the wall. I kind of liked it. Whatever you’re supposed to get from art, it was happening. And the host of the party came up to me and he said, “A machine painted that.” And I was impressed with the technology, but whatever I was feeling about that painting was gone.” — Aaron Sorkin, New York Times, September 27, 2026

In a 1969 lecture published under the title “What Is an Author?”, French philosopher Michel Foucault rhetorically asked if we should include Nietzsche’s laundry list in his body of work to help interpret some of his masterpieces. The question for us is: Should an artist’s verbal or written articulations about their motivation and intention be considered when viewing an artwork?

I believe that firsthand knowledge of the........

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