Intention has a lot to do with language

Well said, jheem.

We can't say much without putting it into words.

Putting it into the right words, now that's the trick, I know you will agree.

Sometimes our intentions are misunderstood. And sometimes we don't understand our intentions.

I suspect an artist's intentions are no different than our own.

Sometimes I think what an artist "intends" has about as much to do with their art as Dali's breath had to do with his paint.

One minor qualification, of course:

Dali's breath might curdle his paint, but an artist's "intentions" could screw up his painting as well.

We cannot know
Where the paint will flow
If we do, we're really not painting.

An artist starts with an idea and ends up with a canvas.

If it's a great canvas, the artist will be as surprised as anyone.

He might even begin to understand how the hell he did it, and what the heck it means.

But that is work better left to critics.

An artist is not his own Muse.

Only an artist's Muse could stand before a work of genius and say:
"That's just what I intended."