More Than a Rock, 2nd Edition

On Significance59

The object becomes aesthetically significant when it becomes metaphysically significant.

—Joseph Campbell

For many years I used the term “meaningful” when referring to expressive images, by which I mean images that express something of an artist’s own mind rather than just illustrating the objective, literal characteristics of objects or scenes. Such references often sparked controversy from both representational photographers (generally asking why it is not enough for an image to just be beautiful or interesting) and from those schooled in the arts, who often subscribe to some variation of “art for art’s sake,” suggesting that art should have no inherent purpose or meaning, leaving such impressions to viewers to fill in.