Apropos of nothing, and everything:
Write All Nite’s preferred analytical framework focuses on the interplay between the how and the what in a piece of art.
What the art’s about, and how it’s made, can be the central conversation of any piece.
The what tends to dominate audience’s attention, and while both are important, a bit more emphasis placed on the how would do us wonders.
And I’m not referring solely to artistic wonders! This “what/how” dichotomy also relates to the calculus we use to determine our worldview.
Back at Columbia (mic drop; fart), a common refrain conveyed to students: we’re not going to teach you what to think, but how to think.
Art’s relationship to the audience can be similar. Don’t tell the audience what to think about what’s depicted; build a framework with the capacity to alter how we think about what’s depicted, inside AND outside the art.
It’s all about the how, baby.