What is Art
Art is an ever-changing, all-imagining, and complicated yet marvelous subject. There are a monstrous amount of differing and conflicting interpretations of art because of people’s diverse backgrounds, ideas, and cultures. Art cannot be restrained to one definition. It floats through life like a feather on wind and intertwines itself into every corner of humanity. Art can be a reflection of the real, physical world or one’s colorful imagination; it can be aesthetically pleasing or disturbingly ugly; and it can be accepted at face value or possess a deeper meaning. Art can serve the purpose of entertainment, prompting ideas, displaying wealth or power, and providing practical tools. Some people may accept a preconceived notion that the capacity of art spans only to what would be found in a museum, however there is so much more. Art, while constantly evolving, can be born into any shape or form to express an emotion, idea, or feeling.
As art cannot have a single definition, it also cannot conform to one individual medium. There are infinite different types of art, mainly because almost everything can be classified as a form of art in one way or another. From a simple wooden chair to a floor-to-ceiling mosaic, if some time and effort are put forth to create an object that holds some meaning to the creator, this object can be considered art. Likewise, innumerable forms of human expression exist that contribute to the broad concept of art. There is architecture, music, dance, literature, and painting just to name a few. All of these expressions are equally important and can be constructed in countless unique ways. For example, a drawing can be crafted from pencil or charcoal or inc and can be drawn on paper or canvas or even a dingy cave wall, creating millions of individual pieces while copying the exact same image. Similarly, just as a species of animal, like a dog can be concentrated into individual sub-species but remain under the general category of “dog”, art can be broken down and built back up the same way. For example, under the category of dance, exists hip-hop, jazz, tap, and so many more that create a web of distinct movements but still share the identical surname of "dance". In this way, one general term used to define a style of art can be so unpredictably layered with differences. Because there is no strict definition that dictates what can be classified as art, the art world is spread through an archive of variation.
The use of art is another aspect that seems unlimited, but in many circumstances, art is used to express or sell a feeling or belief. Writing is often seen as a therapeutic process of releasing inner thoughts that are difficult to share with other people, or is just used to educate an audience of awareness, observations, or imagination. Painting frequently has the same effects. Furthermore, art can be used to share opinions on a certain topic and persuade people to follow a viewpoint. The entire advertising industry is built around using videos and pictures to persuade the public to believe in what they see and convince them to commit their time and money to it. Additionally, throughout history, artwork has been manipulated into propaganda to trigger battles and prompt social disarray. Whether in evil or good nature, art can be used to express and share one’s opinions, beliefs, and ideas.
After taking this amazing class, my perspective on what is art has been refined but has remained relatively the same. After learning about art from a variety of eras such as pre-history, renaissance, asian, and contemporary just to name a few, I have realized that art can be anything and everything. Art is found in life and in death. Art is limitless. It can be a something tangible, or simply a communicated idea that sparks change or emits someone’s beliefs. It can be something thrown together for a utilitarian purpose like a chair, commemorate the life of an individual like a gravemarker, bring someone joy like a perfectly baked pizza, or portray themes of love or embracing a social cause. Art has also changed throughout the years and throughout different cultures. Artists can draft new movements with their innovative, and sometimes audacious, ideas. I strongly believe that art does not need to be something that someone has spent a lot of time or display’s societies standards of “talent”. Art can be anything that holds meaning. In Duchamp’s The Fountain, which is just an upside down urinal that displays his grievances with society, he has taken a common object but attached his own message to it, thereby making it a piece of art. Whether art is displayed in areas of poverty, wealth, sickness, or health it can break free of these predisposed containments and be a symbol of hope, sorrow, or happiness. Through art, arriers are broken and people come together, creating a united world from the disorganized and beautiful concept.
Works Cited
"The Art Institute of Chicago." The Old Guitarist. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Sept. 2015 <http://www.artic.edu/aic/collections/exhibitions/Modern/Guitarist>.
Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com, n.d. Web. 08 Sept. 2015. <http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/art?s=t>.
Esaak, Shelley. "What Is Art? (The Definitition of Art) - About.com." N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Sept. 2015. <http://arthistory.about.com/cs/reference/f/what_is_art.htm>.
"Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History." Cubism. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Sept. 2015. <http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/cube/hd_cube.htm>.
"PROPAGANDA POSTERS AT A GLANCE:." The National WWII Museum. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Sept. 2015 <http://www.nationalww2museum.org/learn/education/for-students/ww2-history/at-a-glance/propaganda-posters.html>.
Art is an ever-changing, all-imagining, and complicated yet marvelous subject. There are a monstrous amount of differing and conflicting interpretations of art because of people’s diverse backgrounds, ideas, and cultures. Art cannot be restrained to one definition. It floats through life like a feather on wind and intertwines itself into every corner of humanity. Art can be a reflection of the real, physical world or one’s colorful imagination; it can be aesthetically pleasing or disturbingly ugly; and it can be accepted at face value or possess a deeper meaning. Art can serve the purpose of entertainment, prompting ideas, displaying wealth or power, and providing practical tools. Some people may accept a preconceived notion that the capacity of art spans only to what would be found in a museum, however there is so much more. Art, while constantly evolving, can be born into any shape or form to express an emotion, idea, or feeling.
As art cannot have a single definition, it also cannot conform to one individual medium. There are infinite different types of art, mainly because almost everything can be classified as a form of art in one way or another. From a simple wooden chair to a floor-to-ceiling mosaic, if some time and effort are put forth to create an object that holds some meaning to the creator, this object can be considered art. Likewise, innumerable forms of human expression exist that contribute to the broad concept of art. There is architecture, music, dance, literature, and painting just to name a few. All of these expressions are equally important and can be constructed in countless unique ways. For example, a drawing can be crafted from pencil or charcoal or inc and can be drawn on paper or canvas or even a dingy cave wall, creating millions of individual pieces while copying the exact same image. Similarly, just as a species of animal, like a dog can be concentrated into individual sub-species but remain under the general category of “dog”, art can be broken down and built back up the same way. For example, under the category of dance, exists hip-hop, jazz, tap, and so many more that create a web of distinct movements but still share the identical surname of "dance". In this way, one general term used to define a style of art can be so unpredictably layered with differences. Because there is no strict definition that dictates what can be classified as art, the art world is spread through an archive of variation.
The use of art is another aspect that seems unlimited, but in many circumstances, art is used to express or sell a feeling or belief. Writing is often seen as a therapeutic process of releasing inner thoughts that are difficult to share with other people, or is just used to educate an audience of awareness, observations, or imagination. Painting frequently has the same effects. Furthermore, art can be used to share opinions on a certain topic and persuade people to follow a viewpoint. The entire advertising industry is built around using videos and pictures to persuade the public to believe in what they see and convince them to commit their time and money to it. Additionally, throughout history, artwork has been manipulated into propaganda to trigger battles and prompt social disarray. Whether in evil or good nature, art can be used to express and share one’s opinions, beliefs, and ideas.
After taking this amazing class, my perspective on what is art has been refined but has remained relatively the same. After learning about art from a variety of eras such as pre-history, renaissance, asian, and contemporary just to name a few, I have realized that art can be anything and everything. Art is found in life and in death. Art is limitless. It can be a something tangible, or simply a communicated idea that sparks change or emits someone’s beliefs. It can be something thrown together for a utilitarian purpose like a chair, commemorate the life of an individual like a gravemarker, bring someone joy like a perfectly baked pizza, or portray themes of love or embracing a social cause. Art has also changed throughout the years and throughout different cultures. Artists can draft new movements with their innovative, and sometimes audacious, ideas. I strongly believe that art does not need to be something that someone has spent a lot of time or display’s societies standards of “talent”. Art can be anything that holds meaning. In Duchamp’s The Fountain, which is just an upside down urinal that displays his grievances with society, he has taken a common object but attached his own message to it, thereby making it a piece of art. Whether art is displayed in areas of poverty, wealth, sickness, or health it can break free of these predisposed containments and be a symbol of hope, sorrow, or happiness. Through art, arriers are broken and people come together, creating a united world from the disorganized and beautiful concept.
Works Cited
"The Art Institute of Chicago." The Old Guitarist. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Sept. 2015 <http://www.artic.edu/aic/collections/exhibitions/Modern/Guitarist>.
Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com, n.d. Web. 08 Sept. 2015. <http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/art?s=t>.
Esaak, Shelley. "What Is Art? (The Definitition of Art) - About.com." N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Sept. 2015. <http://arthistory.about.com/cs/reference/f/what_is_art.htm>.
"Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History." Cubism. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Sept. 2015. <http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/cube/hd_cube.htm>.
"PROPAGANDA POSTERS AT A GLANCE:." The National WWII Museum. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Sept. 2015 <http://www.nationalww2museum.org/learn/education/for-students/ww2-history/at-a-glance/propaganda-posters.html>.
