Meaning and the Right to Have Mysteries

“The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and all science. He to whom this emotion is a stranger, who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead: his eyes are closed.”
-Albert Einstein

Meaning in life is created more than it is discovered. Our satisfaction comes from our actions, whether successful as means to their intended ends or not. It does not derive from the laurels on which we rest or the spoils of our victories. Thus, meaning in art has to be created by the one who experiences it.

In my work, the mystery of each piece-whether the inspiration arrives in a conscious stream or otherwise-is what is most important to me. As a result, I refuse to give explanations of “the meaning” of any work. Where appropriate, I will gladly discuss allusion, homage, history and influence. Still, even in my pieces which fixate on Man Ray and Pablo Picasso each image has been made for the same personal reason as any other: because I could neither explain nor understand my own personal fixation on the idea visually presented.

All images used on this site are © Jason Scott Hoffman, year of their creation noted.

Meat, from the Dyptich "Monstruos (after Picasso)" 2007