Still from Inception, 20101
by Christopher Nolan
This Appreciating Art post focuses on the final and culmination of three questions you should ask yourself when you are encountering a work of art. As a reminder, here are the three questions:
What do I see?
What does it remind me of?
What does all of that mean?
What do I mean when I ask, “what does all of that mean?” It sounds like a circular question. It is a very normal question, though. Picture this (it works best if you live with other people, if you don’t, well, use your imagination):
You wake up and walk into your kitchen, and you see an open milk carton, a bowl of soggy cereal, the refrigerator is open, and you can hear the street as if the front door were open. Most likely, some derivation of the question “what does this mean?” runs through your head. You dive deeper into the house and notice the bathroom light is on, and the door to another family member’s (or roommate’s) room is open. You begin to piece together the “crime” scene.
