Response to Katie Sparagna's question.

Is the intention of the artist  to  evoke a specific reaction to their art more important then their intention to create a piece of art itself?

I think that they are equally important. Yes it is important for the artist to intend for his art to be recieved a certain way, but it is just as important how people recieve it. The artist may intend for a peice to put forth one message, but people may come up with an entierly different meaning for the work. If the people  viewing the work comprehend the same message the artist intended, the piece is considered a sucess and usually deeply moving and symbolic. If people doint get what the artist was implying, it does't make the piece not art, it just makes it pooly executed art. I think the most important concept is what the people get out of it. Besides, the artists intention to evoke a specific reaction should be synonomus with their intention to create the piece. If they are sepate, then the artist isn't creating art in a natural, creative way, but rather a forced, logical way, which looses alot of the spirit and honesty that goes into making art.