Even the titles of pieces can amount to a kind of explanation – or at least a hint – of the meaning or context. I wouldn’t say that this was a bad thing. If you have a portrait of a woman, it does make a difference whether you title it something like “Arrangement in Gray and Black” or “The Empress in Mourning”. A little guidance can go a long way, but if the whole idea of the work needs deciphering, it might be a pretty questionable piece of art.

Yeah, “serious art” is a drag.

The statement “artists should resist the call to explain themselves” strikes me as possibly elitist at its core. Like the unspoken rule in grad school that if ordinary people off the street could comprehend and enjoy your art, then you must be screwing up, somewhere. If you could cause confusion, or better, indignation, you were clearly an artist of high caliber.