What is Art?

1. 0

   Edliraposted 11 years ago

   What is Art?
   
   Most probably this has been asked before, but I am really interested in knowing your opinion on it. Afterall different people, different ideas. Are there any criterias, spoken or not, a piece must fullfill to qualify as art?

   replyreport
2. 98

   chef-de-jourposted 11 years ago

   Art by definition is anything produced by an artist. A work of art is anything produced by a working artist. An artist is an artist because they want to be, need to be or from being told that they are.
   Whether it is good Art or not is up to the viewer, who will have opinions one way or the other, or in between. Art comes in all forms and in all degrees of quality, like human personalities.
   A great mistake made by many people is to think that Art is something produced by an elite bunch of acclaimed creatives who are always showing off their work in galleries and such. And being paid millions for each piece. Not so.
   Art is everywhere, created by children and old people alike. It springs up naturally from all sorts of people (strangely many mega rich people just do not produce art! They buy it!) which finds its way on to the streets, in carnivals, theatre and anywhere else you care to look.

   replyreport
   1. 0

      Edliraposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Are you sure you can define art ? I haven't been able to the present day. I will agree with you art defined on the terms of what an elite produces is limited indeed. What I struggle with notion and the criteria on which it is defined.

      replyreport
3. 69

   Valeneposted 11 years ago

   I think art is at the most basic level, something that you get better at by doing it over and over, as opposed to a task or some other activity that only requires a set list of steps and it is also something that involves a certain level of self-expression or fulfillment. Think for instance of a guy who makes cabinets. Most people would not call that art, but his craftsmanship could be considered art in that he uses his creativity to create a certain look and style on a cabinet and his skill increases with his efforts.
   
   Also, I think art must have a certain amount of originality to it to qualify as art. You have to bring part of yourself to it or some element of the artist should be present in it.

   replyreport
4. 62

   luciano63posted 11 years ago

   Dear Edlira,
   
   Art is a pure expression of our inner part and can be translated into paintings, models, poems, methods, design, architecture.....thanks to our talent and skills. there are people that develop by themeselves their skills doing very well and even becoming important references to others (Picasso, Botero, Da Vinci, Giotto,...) others that go to specialized schools to develop skills to amplifie their inner talent.
   
   However not everybody (to me) can make Art...the inner talent is a must!

   replyreport
   1. 0

      Edliraposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Think about this Luciano, if art is what you have explained then why would an unmade bad be considered art? what kind of talent does it take to leave it unmade. But if it is intentionally used to ilustrate an idea, then does it qualify as art?

      replyreport
   2. 62

      luciano63posted 11 years agoin reply to this

      There is always the subjectif jugement, Art can be also something that to me is not but it is for others! it depends also by cultures and I guess new thinking philosophies that go against classic definitions of Art!

      replyreport
5. 59

   NornsMercyposted 11 years ago

   I think art is everything. Makeup can be art, everyday cuisines prepared at home can be art, an elderly man's wrinkles can be art, the convergence of power lines can be art, a woman's sculpted arms after working 12-hour shifts can be art, and the arrangement of shoes on a shelf can be art.
   
   I think art is the one TRUE freedom, so anything less than "everything" being defined as art puts restrictions on it and oppresses its true nature. Art reminds us of the beauty of simple things.

   replyreport
   1. 0

      Edliraposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      But is art just about beauty? I have seen terrifying, verging to disgusting, paintings which, were technically flawless. Does art have to be appealing to senses or is it supposed to tease and even challenge them?

      replyreport
   2. 59

      NornsMercyposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Well, I think that "beauty" can be found in terror and fear. I think "beauty" can be found in all things since everyone has their own definition of the word.

      replyreport
6. 60

   suranjith_eposted 11 years ago

   Anything created  spontaneously, that is art for me.

   replyreport
7. 60

   Deltachordposted 11 years ago

   There are different kinds of art. Folk art and fine art are both art to me. Some people can paint super realism and others can't. Primative art is just art created by an untrained artist. There is nothing wrong with that. Some artists are better at landscapes and seascapes.
   
   There are different ways to create art like painting, sculpting, printmaking, and pottery.
   
   Some people like some art movements and others like another one. Realism and fantasy are both art.
   
   There are certains things an artist can learn about drawing and painting like line, color, shadow, light, and perspective.
   
   I worked in an art gallery and helped to decide whose art we accepted. The artist sent slides and portfolios for us to look at and make our decisions. They were professional artists that worked hard to produce their art and promote it.
   
   A creative person creates art.
   
   .

   replyreport
8. 59

   TerryK81posted 11 years ago

   This is a very expansive question with limitless answers. Depends on who you are, what your interests and likes are, or aren't. Personally, it's expression of thought, experience, advancement in areas of personal growth, drawing, music...it is anything and everything used for expressing and advancing yourself

   replyreport
9. 73

   Jeff Berndtposted 11 years ago

   Scott McCloud's book "Understanding Comics" defines art as pretty much anything that you don't need to do to reproduce or stay alive (or anything 'extra' added on to the above).
   
   For example, you might need to build a house to live in (not art) but you might decide that your particular house should be painted purple, just for grins (art).

   replyreport
10. 82

    DaffodilSkyposted 11 years ago

    Art is many things but what they all have in common in my opinion is a reflection of the world around us and an expression of how we view, react and feel about it. 
    It's also about beauty and aesthetics.

    replyreport