What Isn’t Art?
Art is in the eye of the beholder—art evokes emotions depending on the circumstance of the viewer, and the context of the world. It is a forum of expression that goes beyond words or speeches. Art has many meanings: art is propaganda, it is political, it is religious, and it is cultural. This class has taught me that art has no standards, it has no requirements, and it changes as the world changes.
All art is up to interpretation, and is interpreted differently based on the interpreter's circumstances. The most meaningful artwork I have seen was an exhibit called A Needle Woman by Kim Sooja at the Red Cross Museum in Geneva, Switzerland. This piece of artwork affected me emotionally; it depicted a video loop of a woman standing in the center of six major metropolitan cities: Patan (Nepal), Jeruselum (Israel), Sana’ (Yemen), Havana (Cuba), Rio De Janero (Brazil), N’Djamena (Chad). It shows the cultural differences around the world, and reminded me of the importance of cultural understanding. It is a video loop, and it is art—it is expression that appeals to visual and mental senses. This affected me differently than someone who is not interested in travel or international relations. Interests evoke certain emotions, and interests often depend on circumstance. After taking Art history, I still admire A Needle Woman for its ability to spark conversation about the world and about cultures.
Circumstance relates to culture. The importance of art varies among cultures, as does the interpretation of art. A pot made in one nation may be of artistic value there, but in another nation it may just be a utensil. Art made in the United States differs from art made in the Middle East, because Western art differs from all other art. This is due to the difference in people, in religions, and in government. The study of art is one of the best ways to understand different cultures--A Needle Woman is the perfect example of how different each area of the world is. Art exhibits in the United States often feature modern art, such as the Los Angeles Museum of Modern Art, which parallels with Europe’s modern art museums such as the Pompidou in Paris. Interestingly, however, there are museums that are not typical of art museums. For example, the Red Cross Museum in Geneva, Switzerland, has interactive displays that simulate natural disasters—this is not a painting or a sculpture, but it is art because it evokes emotions. This demonstrates that art is universal and cross-cultural. Art allows us to enter into a new decade, a new world, and a new culture.
Art changes as the world develops and modernizes. Different artists have different minds and are influenced by different world powers. Banksy serves as an example of the modernization of art. He is a rebellious artist, who has gone past the boundaries of pen and paper, or paint and canvas, and has explored the real world. He conveys his messages on street signs, street corners, even streets themselves. He uses aesthetics as a way to make social commentary on our society as a whole. His artwork evokes questions about the world that we live in and how it has changed to revolve around technology and trends. Artists have always evoked questions and emotions through their artwork—whether it’s artwork on a canvas or on a street curb. As artists take more and more risks, art changes over time, and other artists take risks as well.
Art can bring upon change within the world. Photography, for example, serves as a media to publicize atrocities occurring in the world, as well as the good occurring in the world. War photography is one of the most important art outlets. Take the refugee crisis in the Middle East, the Mediterranean, and all of Europe for example. It is devastating to consider that human lives being destroyed, and natural rights being ignored can be considered art. However, this form of art is what evokes change in the world. It is what gets people thinking about the atrocities committed abroad, and it leads to people doing all that they can to help. It is not propaganda, because it is not exaggeration. The human lives captured trigger real change in the world, and change in foreign affairs. Photography is one of the forms of art that I greatly admire, no matter how heart breaking it is to know that these are real people, experiencing traumatically real pain.
Ultimately, art is everywhere. I once wrote that art evolves over time, but its meaning never changes. I no longer agree with this-- the meaning of an artwork does change. It changes based on the context of the time period it's being examined in, and based on any changes the viewer has experienced. I continue to believe that it is our duty to understand its purpose and to appreciate art’s existence.
Art is in the eye of the beholder—art evokes emotions depending on the circumstance of the viewer, and the context of the world. It is a forum of expression that goes beyond words or speeches. Art has many meanings: art is propaganda, it is political, it is religious, and it is cultural. This class has taught me that art has no standards, it has no requirements, and it changes as the world changes.
All art is up to interpretation, and is interpreted differently based on the interpreter's circumstances. The most meaningful artwork I have seen was an exhibit called A Needle Woman by Kim Sooja at the Red Cross Museum in Geneva, Switzerland. This piece of artwork affected me emotionally; it depicted a video loop of a woman standing in the center of six major metropolitan cities: Patan (Nepal), Jeruselum (Israel), Sana’ (Yemen), Havana (Cuba), Rio De Janero (Brazil), N’Djamena (Chad). It shows the cultural differences around the world, and reminded me of the importance of cultural understanding. It is a video loop, and it is art—it is expression that appeals to visual and mental senses. This affected me differently than someone who is not interested in travel or international relations. Interests evoke certain emotions, and interests often depend on circumstance. After taking Art history, I still admire A Needle Woman for its ability to spark conversation about the world and about cultures.
Circumstance relates to culture. The importance of art varies among cultures, as does the interpretation of art. A pot made in one nation may be of artistic value there, but in another nation it may just be a utensil. Art made in the United States differs from art made in the Middle East, because Western art differs from all other art. This is due to the difference in people, in religions, and in government. The study of art is one of the best ways to understand different cultures--A Needle Woman is the perfect example of how different each area of the world is. Art exhibits in the United States often feature modern art, such as the Los Angeles Museum of Modern Art, which parallels with Europe’s modern art museums such as the Pompidou in Paris. Interestingly, however, there are museums that are not typical of art museums. For example, the Red Cross Museum in Geneva, Switzerland, has interactive displays that simulate natural disasters—this is not a painting or a sculpture, but it is art because it evokes emotions. This demonstrates that art is universal and cross-cultural. Art allows us to enter into a new decade, a new world, and a new culture.
Art changes as the world develops and modernizes. Different artists have different minds and are influenced by different world powers. Banksy serves as an example of the modernization of art. He is a rebellious artist, who has gone past the boundaries of pen and paper, or paint and canvas, and has explored the real world. He conveys his messages on street signs, street corners, even streets themselves. He uses aesthetics as a way to make social commentary on our society as a whole. His artwork evokes questions about the world that we live in and how it has changed to revolve around technology and trends. Artists have always evoked questions and emotions through their artwork—whether it’s artwork on a canvas or on a street curb. As artists take more and more risks, art changes over time, and other artists take risks as well.
Art can bring upon change within the world. Photography, for example, serves as a media to publicize atrocities occurring in the world, as well as the good occurring in the world. War photography is one of the most important art outlets. Take the refugee crisis in the Middle East, the Mediterranean, and all of Europe for example. It is devastating to consider that human lives being destroyed, and natural rights being ignored can be considered art. However, this form of art is what evokes change in the world. It is what gets people thinking about the atrocities committed abroad, and it leads to people doing all that they can to help. It is not propaganda, because it is not exaggeration. The human lives captured trigger real change in the world, and change in foreign affairs. Photography is one of the forms of art that I greatly admire, no matter how heart breaking it is to know that these are real people, experiencing traumatically real pain.
Ultimately, art is everywhere. I once wrote that art evolves over time, but its meaning never changes. I no longer agree with this-- the meaning of an artwork does change. It changes based on the context of the time period it's being examined in, and based on any changes the viewer has experienced. I continue to believe that it is our duty to understand its purpose and to appreciate art’s existence.
