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Truth in terms of logic is always true or false, 1 or 0, there is nothing in between. No half-truths or personal opinions; only a pure mathematical Boolean algebraic value; the logical truth is either one or the other and is used to evaluate propositions.

Science is based on logic; we’ve got equations to find out how far an object moves if it’s velocity is x and the time spent is y and so forth; and they can be rearranged from their origin and still give us the same logical answer every time they are used, even if the person using the equation changes. In science there is no such thing as misinterpretation in terms of the equations used. Although a scientist may feel stronger about a topic or subject within science than another, and may have certain equations he likes better than others, that doesn’t change the result. In science you can predict your answer; you’ve got absolute values and equations. In the end you get a reasonable answer that you can defend with your use of the equation.

Art on the other hand does not deal with absolute values and equations. Art is neither true nor false hence art can’t be logical. One rarely sees a piece of art that comes with an equation on how to interpret it; how to read the work of art that we have in front of us. Does this mean that art can’t tell the truth?

In order to answer that question we need to establish an understanding of whose truth we are talking about. When an artist makes a painting he probably had a reason for doing so. If you paint pictures as a hobby you are likely to have a truth different from the African Tinga-Tinga painters who earn their living from their works of art. One truth is based on hard work and the necessity to perform in order to survive, whilst the other is more a luxury of being able to do something else other than work. As a consequence we’ll have to talk about truth in terms of the viewer of the painting; the one who interprets the work of art. This leads to discussion of an individual truth or personal truth although I would risk saying that truth is in the eyes of the beholder, suggesting that truth in terms of art is rather subjective.

Having established what truth is and whose truth we are talking about, we can finally move along to talk about whether art does, or can, tell the truth. When looking at a work of art, a painting or such, it will probably evoke an emotion. If you recognize this emotion you might say that the painting is telling the truth. Not the truth of the painter, as we in general know nothing of that, but the truth of yourself or your emotions. With the Tinga-Tinga paintings still in mind; although they are products of need they still manages to stir up an emotion with their bright coloured paintings of Masaai warriors walking together in fellowship over the red spangled plains of Kilimanjaro during a days end.

The counter claim would be that you can’t save someone who doesn’t want to be saved, at the same time you can’t tell the truth to someone who doesn’t want to see the truth. If you don’t want to touch a feeling or recognize it; chances are that you will not see the truth in a work of art, a truth that tells you something about yourself. Although by rejecting truth you accept the lies and thereby make them your truth.