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.
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