What is art?: second edition
In the beginning of the year I wrote a page on what I believe art is, it was the definition of art in my opinion. The old Harrison's idea placed the concept of art in the artist's hands, I now see that that was wishful thinking and the concept of art is in the world’s hands, and the public’s opinions and views. My old definition was art is an expression by the artist in any way, shape, or form that satisfied the artist and gave them the ability to call his or her work art. After 9 months of observing so many different types of art from famous pieces like Starry Night to the controversial pieces like Duchamp's Urinal, I have learned that the viewer is in control, the viewer can say that is art or that is not art; these art pieces have the ability express every emotion human beings can express or simply none at all and it's what the viewer feels about a piece that calls it art.
Of course without the artist there would be no art, my point is that my last definition centered around the artist to much, I have learned that the public has the power to dictate what art is and what it is not. The artist brings an idea to the public's attention and the public has the power to accept it or reject it. In this way art is corrupt because it's entered into our dirty world. In my opinion the quieter pieces meaning the lesser known are still beautiful to me. I love art and I love this world; however I find many less famous pieces more appealing to myself than many famous ones simply because they seem purer. Art is to be shared and appreciated, but not over hyped, the public holds the power to do all those things to accept or decline the art, the power that defines art for what it is.
Art is everything we want it to be, with humans building off each other from the Paleolithic era to the present art has evolved just like humans have evolved, and it will continue to do so. I have jumped around with ideas on this page, but so has art in the last 27,000 years. I can confidently say that from observing art from those last 27,000 years that the definition of what is art is in the viewer’s hands, they are the sole judge of what art is, and if a work is art or not.
In the beginning of the year I wrote a page on what I believe art is, it was the definition of art in my opinion. The old Harrison's idea placed the concept of art in the artist's hands, I now see that that was wishful thinking and the concept of art is in the world’s hands, and the public’s opinions and views. My old definition was art is an expression by the artist in any way, shape, or form that satisfied the artist and gave them the ability to call his or her work art. After 9 months of observing so many different types of art from famous pieces like Starry Night to the controversial pieces like Duchamp's Urinal, I have learned that the viewer is in control, the viewer can say that is art or that is not art; these art pieces have the ability express every emotion human beings can express or simply none at all and it's what the viewer feels about a piece that calls it art.
Of course without the artist there would be no art, my point is that my last definition centered around the artist to much, I have learned that the public has the power to dictate what art is and what it is not. The artist brings an idea to the public's attention and the public has the power to accept it or reject it. In this way art is corrupt because it's entered into our dirty world. In my opinion the quieter pieces meaning the lesser known are still beautiful to me. I love art and I love this world; however I find many less famous pieces more appealing to myself than many famous ones simply because they seem purer. Art is to be shared and appreciated, but not over hyped, the public holds the power to do all those things to accept or decline the art, the power that defines art for what it is.
Art is everything we want it to be, with humans building off each other from the Paleolithic era to the present art has evolved just like humans have evolved, and it will continue to do so. I have jumped around with ideas on this page, but so has art in the last 27,000 years. I can confidently say that from observing art from those last 27,000 years that the definition of what is art is in the viewer’s hands, they are the sole judge of what art is, and if a work is art or not.
