What is art? This seemingly simple question has wandered in my thoughts all week. The very moment we were assigned this task, I immediately thought of running to the Flat Iron Building and capturing it in the most fantastic way. And I questioned this thought, thinking what exactly makes the Flat Iron Building art? I couldn’t really answer this question because observing it did not make me think. It did not spark an idea or feeling, or make me question anything. It was simply a beautiful, authentic, pleasant-to-look-at New York City building. You know, one of those.
So I continued on my thought journey and came to realize that art is so subjective that it has about 7.5 billion definitions, none of which are found in a dictionary or on Google. Every single person, with each point of view, life story, and moment in life, can define art differently. So here is my working definition.
Here is something that made me laugh, which respectively made me think and reflect. Someone has created this with a message in mind. Through my eyes, it made sense. It is powerful, ironic, clever, and thought provoking. It’s not the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen but it triggered a reaction and that’s what art is.
Here is something that made me smile in awe. Can someone determine how many colors this flower has? It really made me think about the beauty of nature and how it has all come together to create the world we live in today. (I’m sure science can explain how, why, and where all these colors came from, but that is not the point.) It’s always nice to see a bit of nature in our city made of concrete legos. Although this wasn’t intentionally made by a human or designed with a message, maybe it’s nature’s way of saying “hello?” Or giving us a smile? Or reminding us about the important things in life? Or maybe it was someone’s job to simply plant this flower here and move on? The world may never know, and that is kind of like what art is.
Here is something that smelled really bad while walking by it. Maybe there is something poetic about trash, like the end of a life cycle or the use of something and where it goes afterwards, but not in my definition of art and not in this particular picture. There was no initial spark of an interesting thought or some kind of significant reaction. For me, this is not what art is.
In conclusion, art can be anything and everything can be art. It depends on which one of the 7.5 billion people on this planet you ask. If you ask me, at this moment in my life, I would say that art is something created with a message in mind that makes you stop. Think. Absorb. Think some more. Appreciate. Question. Art is almost like a feeling that you get after it makes you do all those things. Those actions could take only a second, or they could consume your thoughts for hours, but however it happens, you could feel when something is art.
Ellen Stoyanov
Regarding your first image, I am totally on board. I definitely agree with you combining the connection between emotion and art. When something is viewed by someone in a way that makes them stop to think and reflect, or in this case laugh, it is evoking a strong sense of emotion through the eyes of the viewer. Emotion brings out a self connection with the art and the person. Once that connection is made, I believe that a piece like this one, is definitely art.
I found your idea that art has to incorporate a message to be very interesting. I agree with you in this respect. I believe that if a viewer of art does not have any thoughts or connections evoked from them, then the piece itself is almost just an object and maybe nothing more than a piece for visual pleasure. Like you, I believe that art has to have that deeper connection and message. I also loved how you connect emotions to art.
I found your idea that art has to incorporate a message to be very interesting. I agree with you in this respect. I believe that if a viewer of art does not have any thoughts or connections evoked from them, then the piece itself is almost just an object and maybe nothing more than a piece for visual pleasure. Like you, I believe that art has to have that deeper connection and message.
I agree with your interpretation of the second image of the flower. That image can definitely be interpreted as a piece of art or not as a piece of art depending on the mood you’re in. If one person sees that flower, they might just walk by and think of it as any regular flower growing in nature. Another person however might see that flow as a positive message of beauty that evokes happy feelings in the person. Both sides of this flower being art can be argued.