Reflection

Through this project, I learned about the different ways in which artists can conceal words in their pieces. I didn’t realize how many companies and brands subtly insert their initials or names into logos. This is an interesting marketing technique because it reminds the viewer who or where the product came from. I also learned about how words can be hidden in paintings. Langdon liked to exploit both positive and negative spaces around objects to convey two different (and often contrasting) words. Edmiston used abstract shapes and bold colors to spell out words in a nonobvious way. And Eerdekens used a completely different kind of art – a coiled wire with a light shined on it – to spell out words and phrases.

I like this technique a lot because it challenges the viewer to critically examine and perceive a piece of art. It turns viewing art into a puzzle to figure out any possible subtle messages. And it gives the artist a chance to convey an additional level of meaning in their work. Perhaps in the next piece of digital media I produce, I can conceal a hidden message of my own. I think it would be cool to hide my own name in a piece of work (in the style of Langdon’s artist tributes) instead of the traditional signature of an artist in the lower corner.