Art, much like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder. Art is subjective: art can be anything. Art can be graffiti on the street, a painting in a museum, or a dance on a stage. Art to some people is not art to others because art covers such a large field of objects and works. In its simplest form, to me art is self-expression. Whether that self-expression is in the form of food, a song, or a movie, it is considered art as long as the artist enjoys creating it and viewers enjoy reveling in it.

“Art as Idea as Idea” by Joseph Kosuth at MOMA

            Museums are extremely influential on what is considered art and what is not. Being a big fan of MOMA, I’ve been there multiple times, and every time I go, I am amazed that some of the exhibits are considered art. When I went this past spring, on the wall there was a definition of the word definition. Personally, I don’t see how that is considered art, but I guess if it’s good enough to get into a museum, then I guess I’m just not artsy enough to understand. I think that’s a major problem when it comes to museums: you “average Joe museums goers” (like myself) don’t always understand why things are in a museum. Why is that art worth a boat-load of money but the amazing graffiti on the street a block away is considered vandalism. There are museums for everything: modern art, historical art, European art, cultural art, even moving images, but I have yet to see a museum that has encompassed all kinds of art.

Art does not need to make sense. Art does not need to be in a certain medium. Art can be paint on a canvas. Art can be food on a dish. Art can be words in a song. Art is the transfer of an unwritten message between the creator and the viewers.

“Art is the most intense mode of individualism that the world has known.”

Oscar Wilde