Art as data : an exploratory essay

The possibilities and feasibilities of developing a comprehensive methodology for analyzing art from a sociological perspective with special attention to the meaning of art works is explored. It is argued that a proper framework for understanding the relationship between art and society can be found within an analysis of the content of an art work at the level of meaning. The content of an art work is expressed in a unique form of non-verbal communication; thus, the social meaning attributed to the work represents data on the life experiences of artists, as well as the relationship between the material and nonmaterial components of a society's culture. By combining the hermeneutical philosophy of Hans-Georg Gadamer with a phenomenological perspective, as it has been developed within the Weberian-Schutzian tradition, the initial steps are taken towards explicating this methodology for the sociology of art.