When Francis Bacon approaches a white canvas its empty surface is already filled with the whole history of painting up to that moment, it is a compaction of all the clichés of representation already extant in the painter’s world, in the painter’s head, in the probability of what can be done on this surface.
Anne Carson argues that using clichés is easier than creating something new. She states that there is nothing that has not been said before. In this quote, she writes that when creating a work of art, a painter is not really creating something new. The painting is just an interpretation of what the painter has already experienced in the past or has prior knowledge to. The white canvas, while being seen by the painter, is a “compaction of all the clichés of representation already extant in the painter’s world, in the painter’s head, in the probability of what can be done on this surface.” This is implying that it is impossible for the painter to create something that is non existent in the painter’s world. The description in this quote is very similar to the act of translation. Before anyone is able to interpret a text or an image, they have to use their prior knowledge and past experiences to be able to understand what they are seeing or reading. By using their prior knowledge and experiences they are able to create their own unique interpretation of the text or image and translate it into a different text.
My question is: Do you think that it is possible to analyze or interpret something without using your prior knowledge or experiences?