The article Against Interpretation by Susan Sontag is an extremely well written essay, which describes what she believes to be the fundamental problem behind the direction of art. Sontag criticizes much of the modern art being produced today, claiming that it lacks sufficient creativity and depth. Sontag quotes Nietzcshe by saying, "There are no facts, only interpretations". She criticizes pop art much the same way, saying that it reflects the polar opposite, the point of the art or "work" is plain and direct that there is no need for deep interpretation. Sontag believes that it is this interpretation that allows us to more deeply analyze and enjoy a piece of art. Sontag says, "Interpretation must itself be evaluated, within historical view of human consciousness. In some cultural contexts, interpretation is a liberating act. It is a means of revising, of transvaluing, of escaping the dead past. In other cultural contexts, it is reactionary, impertinent, cowardly stifling".
I would have to say that Susan Sontag has very strong opinions to argue, but she was surely very well educated and has a certain criteria that she obviously uses to judge art. She would certainly not like a lot of the works that we have seen thus far in our intro to visual arts class, however many of the more complex pieces of art, even movies, music, etc. would allow for her to use this divine sense of "interpretation" she feels that is necessary to define something as real art.
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