What is art? You would think that a three word question would be simple to answer. It’s not. I’ve been pondering the question for a few days now and still haven’t come up with a decided answer. Maybe there really isn’t one though.
I decided to start my search for the answer out with an online dictionary. I just typed in the word “art” and it came up with this: the products of human creativity; the creation of beautiful or significant things. From this definition I determined a couple of things. One, art is an outcome. Art isn’t something that just exists; it has to have been made at some point in time. Two, art is created by man. In Art and Artworks, it has a story about a chimpanzee that creates some paintings. I do believe that art was created but according to the definition “products of human creativity” the artist couldn’t be the chimpanzee. The artist was whoever gave the chimpanzee the paint brushes. The chimpanzee was just a tool that was used. I don’t really think the animal knew what it was doing.
So I’ve come to the conclusion that art must be created and it must be created by man. Then I started wondering if art needed to be displayed in some fashion in order to be considered art. In a YouTube video, there was the example of the urinal put in the art gallery. This was what really got me thinking about display. Location was really the only difference between that one urinal and one in a normal male restroom. I concluded that display must have something to do with what art is. However, what about buildings, architecture? I know that some buildings are a work of art. There are so many structures that can take someones breath away that are created by man, such as the Eifel Tower. But they aren’t on display like the urinal. No, location shouldn’t make something art.
Next, I wanted to know if intent had anything to do with what art is. I was thinking art is planned to an extent. I came across a podcast by a Mr. Nehames. In part of the lecture he said that “the desire to make something special is characteristic of the artistic process.” Something drives the artist to make it but that defines the process, not art itself. Then I remembered that Maele gave her example of the squash she made and that complicated things. What she intended didn’t really happen but her work was still considered art. I started thinking about ancient pottery and pictographs. Maybe to the indigenous people this wasn’t art but now we think it is. No, artist’s intent is not a determining factor because some art is not intended to happen.
Tolstoy said, “…that whereas by words a man transmits his thoughts to another, by means of art he transmits his feelings.” After I read this I started thinking that feelings need to be a part of my definition. I play the piano and love listening to instrumental songs. So many songs that I’ve played have portrayed emotion. Claire de Lune by Debussy is my favorite song in the world because I feel an incredible peace when I hear or play it. To me, Claire de Lune is a masterpiece and Debussy is an artist. I have come to the conclusion that all art does bring feelings but the feeling that is present depends on the person looking or listening.
My definition of art is: a product of man that causes an onlooker to feel or think something. However I think everyone’s definition would be different.
I decided to start my search for the answer out with an online dictionary. I just typed in the word “art” and it came up with this: the products of human creativity; the creation of beautiful or significant things. From this definition I determined a couple of things. One, art is an outcome. Art isn’t something that just exists; it has to have been made at some point in time. Two, art is created by man. In Art and Artworks, it has a story about a chimpanzee that creates some paintings. I do believe that art was created but according to the definition “products of human creativity” the artist couldn’t be the chimpanzee. The artist was whoever gave the chimpanzee the paint brushes. The chimpanzee was just a tool that was used. I don’t really think the animal knew what it was doing.
So I’ve come to the conclusion that art must be created and it must be created by man. Then I started wondering if art needed to be displayed in some fashion in order to be considered art. In a YouTube video, there was the example of the urinal put in the art gallery. This was what really got me thinking about display. Location was really the only difference between that one urinal and one in a normal male restroom. I concluded that display must have something to do with what art is. However, what about buildings, architecture? I know that some buildings are a work of art. There are so many structures that can take someones breath away that are created by man, such as the Eifel Tower. But they aren’t on display like the urinal. No, location shouldn’t make something art.
Next, I wanted to know if intent had anything to do with what art is. I was thinking art is planned to an extent. I came across a podcast by a Mr. Nehames. In part of the lecture he said that “the desire to make something special is characteristic of the artistic process.” Something drives the artist to make it but that defines the process, not art itself. Then I remembered that Maele gave her example of the squash she made and that complicated things. What she intended didn’t really happen but her work was still considered art. I started thinking about ancient pottery and pictographs. Maybe to the indigenous people this wasn’t art but now we think it is. No, artist’s intent is not a determining factor because some art is not intended to happen.
Tolstoy said, “…that whereas by words a man transmits his thoughts to another, by means of art he transmits his feelings.” After I read this I started thinking that feelings need to be a part of my definition. I play the piano and love listening to instrumental songs. So many songs that I’ve played have portrayed emotion. Claire de Lune by Debussy is my favorite song in the world because I feel an incredible peace when I hear or play it. To me, Claire de Lune is a masterpiece and Debussy is an artist. I have come to the conclusion that all art does bring feelings but the feeling that is present depends on the person looking or listening.
My definition of art is: a product of man that causes an onlooker to feel or think something. However I think everyone’s definition would be different.
Art and Artworks. Chapter 1. Retrieved from https://online.uen.org/webct/urw/lc129121021.tp0/cobaltMainFrame.dowebct
Art. Webster Online Dictionary. http://www.webster-dictionary.org/definition/art
Debussy. Claire de Lune
Nehames, A. What is Art? Retrieved from Philosophy Talk website: http://www.philosophytalk.org/pastShows/Art.html
Tolstoy, L. What is Art? (Excerpts). (Chapter five). Retrieved from http://www.csulb.edu/~jvancamp/361r14.html
What is art?. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZXOL-HUfWM
No comments:
Post a Comment