Art is something that conveys and idea, an emotion, or an overall feeling. It is something that we can stop and think about and actually learn something new in the process. For example, a piece of blank white paper is not art, but a series of pieces of not-so-blank white paper (possible with words on it) intentionally arranged on a table and lit in a certain way could be art. Personally I am not a fan of minimalist modern art and often I believe that it is not actually art. My reasons are that I do not believe we can truly get anything out of stopping and looking at a blank white canvass or a series of florescent lights on a wall. However, to take an example from class, I think we can get something interesting out of the composition of a black-and-white photograph of a urinal with a name on it. It gives us a very odd feeling and creates an atmosphere of absurdity and, depending on the composition, possibly mystery.
Another important note is that art does not have to have any visible characteristics at all. Music is certainly a form of artwork. It conveys a feeling and mood in the tone of the melody and instrumentals (or support in the case of something like a cappella) and the lyrics almost invariable have ideas attached to them. They may not fit together and sometimes they're hard to find, but the composer usually had something in mind. I suspect the only reason I thought to write this paragraph is because I'm currently listening to Bob Dylan, but it doesn't make it any less true.
Just on a final note, I would like to say that the quality of the art has very little to do with whether or not it is actually artwork. I think few people would argue that an incredibly off-key and amelodic song is a form of art, though many would say it is terrible. The same goes for pieces of visual art. Personally I think several paintings I've seen in museums by very famous artists (Pablo Picasso comes to mind) are really not very good,* yet I would not even think to argue that they are not art; they are!
I know that was a little long, but hopefully it gave you guys a little to think about and maybe even something to respond to.
Ethan Cecchetti
* - This is about the most subjective possible comment. I am making absolutely no objective claims here.
1 comment:
I think that the example of the piece of blank white paper is an interesting one. In my mind, there is a difference between the blank white paper haphazardly sitting on someone's desk and the blank white paper mounted on the wall of an art museum, even though, yes, physically they appear to be the same. The difference, to me, is linked with intentionality. If I set a piece of paper on my desk lacking intention, it does not become art. On the other hand, if I make the conscious decision to display the paper as some form of expression, then that paper is indeed elevated to the status of art.
I think this pertains well to the urinal example, also. The urinal on the wall in a bathroom is not art, while the urinal intentionally removed from the bathroom and displayed becomes art.
Anyway, I think there's something important about conscious (or even subconscious) decision-making where art is involved.
Madeleine Filloux
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