What is art?
This is the question we started our first and only class with, this is the question that I feel like we are going to start each class with.
The question of what is art seems to bring up an infinite many other questions, concerning the nature of the world around and within us.
Maybe this is indeed the purpose of art, to be a tool to uncover what lies within (the subjective part of it) and around (more objective). (The example of the former would be- an art piece that helps you realize something about yourself, and an art piece that helps you realize something about the world)
This still does not answer the question of what is art, maybe it is a question that can not be answered, because if it is answered it will cease to be art, as it will cease to cause you to question. Maybe it can not be answered because art is so complex, it is so many things that they can not be listed or their essence captured in one neat definition.
Art is irrational, because it is so human. Art is emotional and opinionated. I value rationality and facts over emotion and opinions, but art is an exception to this rule. It is too many things at once, and that alone makes it important. I derive pleasure, thoughts, emotions from “consuming” art. In art there are creators and consumers, I am the latter, but have always wondered about the perspective of the artist. One of the required readings for this class is “Just Kids” by Patty Smith. In class, Michael has answered the question about the creative process in a way that made me question this perspective even more. He said that artists often can not describe themselves how they create something and why they get the urge to do so. Is it merely to express yourself? Maybe expressing yourself is everything. I began reading the book, and found the narrator both very relatable in they appreciation (and taste) in art, and completely novel. Patty’s and Robert’s entire lives were about art and each other, to them it seemed to be as natural as breathing air but I couldn’t help but keep asking “Why?” with each flip of the page. Robert’s line “No one sees as we do, Patty.” stands out, further supporting the notion that creating is about expressing yourself, your way of seeing, but still there feels to be a piece missing that would complete the understanding. What is to express yourself? Does not every individual have their own unique way of seeing? Why do some people have stronger urge to express it? Are people born artists, or do they become artists?
What is art?
The best I can do is to say- I know it when I see it.