Why it is wise Not to Explain

Robert Frost once read poetry at Dartmouth (or as he called it “said” his poetry). A student did not understand a poem and asked him to explain it. Frost was silent for a moment, then said: “I will say it again then”. And that was pretty well the best he could do.

The reason one should never be tempted to explain one’s work is that it would deprive the recipient from experiencing the work for themselves. A work of art is only a trigger to unleash something personal in each individual, something unique to them alone. The current fad of self indulgent artist statements and revealing interviews about the creative process provides a shallow voyeuristic pleasure for the audience but at the same time deprives them of the opportunity to use the work for what it was intended, a gateway to the deepest recesses of their own soul. Expounding one’s own interpretation of one’s work limits the audience to consume rather than discover.

Every work of art worth its salt contains the secret of its creation which, like a Pharaoh’s tomb, should remain undisturbed.