Guardians of the Secret

When I first looked at ‘Guardians of the Secret’, I immediately received an impression that did not change upon further analysis or class discussion. My interpretation is of four guards guarding the white area, while a bloody mass lies underneath. Because the white box is in the center of the drawing, I believe that the ‘secret’ is behind it, which would make it more of a sheet instead of a box. The guards can see the secret, why is why they are dead/skeletal looking or because they are dead/skeletal looking. The colors on the sheet match the colors in the bloody mass underneath, which gives the impression that the people underneath had at one point tried to permeate the sheet, to discover the secret. The intimidating aura of the guards is what leads to the belief of the blood and gore- if the guards had been clean-cut or less evil and dead like, a viewer would probably never think that the space under the sheet contained dead bodies. Finally, the secret is clearly a very important one. The fact that it requires four scary guards and it has caused the death of many people leads one to believe that the secret must be imperative- and worth giving your life for.
Analyzing art is an interesting comparative to analyzing religion. Many believe that everyone is entitled to their own interpretation, and that there is no right or wrong method of elucidation. Many apply this subjective view to the religious world, as well. While everyone is influenced by their unique worldviews and perspectives, I believe one of the crucial functions of a religious belief is being confident enough in that faith to assert the existence of a right and wrong- that the world is objective.
When examining a painting, it is interesting to hear the opinions of the class and try to analyze my own thoughts- however I believe, in the end, that the artist had an expressed intent, purpose, motivation for creating the drawing in the first place that may not correspond with interpretations of the class. According to the author, I believe there is a right and wrong way of interpreting the drawing. Many people may disagree with this, but I would argue that even if the artist did not intend to install his own beliefs on his viewers, then this is his expressed intent, purpose, and motivation. The lack of a boundary is its own boundary- if everyone is supposed to have their own interpretation, then this is its own rule of understanding for that painting. For this particular drawing, this is the ‘right’ way of interpretation, and the ‘wrong’ way is to try to enforce individual beliefs on anyone else.
The same is with religion. Because I believe that the author intended for everyone to understand Him, there must be a right and wrong in the universe, and in the conclusions of interpretations of religion.