A secret language?
A friend of mine wrote, I often suspected that artists had a secret’ language for understanding modern art in the same way as the Aborigines do, but I just wasn’t part of it. I sometimes think this too. There probably is something of the kind, but it would be impossible to lay down its rules. No two people would ever agree on a common code. If despite this, a code were ever established then artists would immediately subvert it, since it would be another restrictive convention to overcome in the eternal quest for freedom. It makes more sense to ask whether a particular abstract artist has their own symbolic language specific to them (I don’t just mean their style). Apparently Dali used certain recurring symbols (such as beans, ants and struts), and these had well-defined meanings. Some artists may be willing to explain their personal symbolism, but it weakens a work of art if it cannot stand on its own because its appreciation relies on extraneous knowledge. It also begs the question of
