From, “The Context of Art” by James McCullough and Wes Vander Lugt
Artists do not create contexts; they work within them. Context is the web of complex circumstances in which artists work in relation to their physical environment, historical trends and traditions, social movements, cultural values, intellectual perspectives, personal commitments, and more. Likewise, art is received within a context of corresponding dynamics that shape meaning and interpretation. As such, context is an inescapable dimension of art in both its production and its reception and interpretation.
Also, this article by David Pledger titled: Circles of context: giving a work of art its meaning.
“Whether economic, philosophical, social or cultural, the context in which an artwork is created and the complicity of the artist within that context is intrinsic to its meaning.
A “street artist” is, by definition, determined by the very context in which they create and exhibit: the street.”
“His work on the West Bank Wall depicting two children playing in the rubble and dreaming of a sandy beach on a tropical paradise has a poignancy that resonates because of its specific location and the history and politics it evokes. The context is not just intrinsic to the artwork’s meaning, it is the provider of its meaning.”
Let’s look a little closer at Banksy’s work and the context it arises in:
Red Hook Banksy goes to auction…
The fates of Banksy’s Big Apple artworks