A purple-hued, silhouette-centered sunset. This, to me, is art. This picture was taken on the very last day of August. The silhouette in question is my boyfriend and the purple hues signify the time of time; the sun setting lower and lower, as if it is about to touch the water. Every year, my boyfriend and I have held the tradition of spending an entire day at the beach on the very last day of August as if to signify the end of summer- or another summer spent together. Both being huge fans of the beach and sunsets at the beach, and both having schedules so inundated with part-time jobs and classes, spending a day together combining what the two of us love the most has become one of my favorite things in the world.
And because this day holds so much meaning to me, and because the brilliant, fiery (slightly edited) sunset that night was beyond compare, this photo will always be my definition of “art.” My boyfriend’s bounty of energy, present even at the end of a day, is evident as he jumps in and out of the water, spreading his arms wildly. His featureless silhouette becomes the epitome of enjoyment, of joy, of freedom- even if it is just only for that day. The sun setting behind him paints a picture of a vibrant, beautiful sky- a landscape both esthetically pleasing to the eye and emotionally significant as the end of another day in a life.
A book that stands out from the rest. Titled, When You Were Mine, its place protrudes from among the rest of the other monochrome books. This photo was taken on a casual shopping trip with my best friend, who had just gotten out of a relationship. The break up was still fresh- it had only been a month. We were wandering the bookcases of a local thrip shop. She was absentmindedly scanning the piles and rows of books when she stopped on this particular book. A particularly sad look came across her face, and she sat there, crouched, and staring at the book. I believe it was the title that got to her, as she uttered not a word about having read or come across the book itself. After a minute, she got up from her position and walked away. I could tell that she was lost in thought about everything that had happened between and her ex-boyfriend just a month ago and I could tell that, in her mind, she was thinking about “when he was hers.”
After she had walked away, I pulled the book out and took a picture of it, standing there among the stacks. Many of you may look at this picture and not understand why it is art. The reason being that perhaps this book has no meaning to you. Perhaps you feel nothing or can relate to nothing when you read the title. In a like manner, this book would have not meant anything to me, had I not seen the effect it had had on my friend. The power of a few words on the cover of a novel had moved my best friend to silence and had drawn upon the most vulnerable parts of her heart. Perhaps one who could directly relate to a time “When You Were Mine,” would consider this to be art. Some may be moved just by the curiosity of a book out of place among the others.
A whiteboard stating that this cafe has “Free Wifi.” This photo was taken at my local cafe, and the only reason I took a picture of this board was because I knew I would need to remember the login information. This, to most people, is most definitely not considered art. There is not much that is aesthetically pleasing beyond the colors used and the quality of the photo itself isn’t considered some of my “best work.” There is no meaning behind this photo, no emotional depth. This photo doesn’t move me and there are no particular memories or feelings attached to this whiteboard or the day I took this photo itself. In fact, although it was only a week ago, this photo and this day has already completely faded from my mind. In essence, it is forgettable, meaningless, lacking-depth and cannot be considered art in my eyes.
Art is an idea or a concept, captured or portrayed through any medium. It is a means of conveying said ideas or concepts, or of invoking emotion upon those who stumble across it or for those who it was intended for. This emotion could be of the aesthetic kind or of the emotional kind. The reaction art invokes could be minuscule but it could also be monumental. Perhaps art will only move its creator, or perhaps it may move nations.
If something created or captured through a medium has the ability or the power to move you, make you feel something, or invokes a reaction of either the physical or emotional depth, then this something is considered art.
It’s deep within yourself. No one else can tell you what fits these qualifications above. Art is determined by each individual and by each individual self.
I agree with your selections for what is, is not, and may be considered art, but I feel like your general definition of art is too overarching; pretty much anything could be art according to you. On a separate note, your photos are beautiful and I really enjoyed the backstories you used to relay the meaning behind them.
I also love your last sentence. It is similar to my own belief that art is not subject to limitation and therefore can be whatever we want it to be.
I thought all of your photographs were beautiful, but the one that resonated with me the most is the second one. It’s art to both of us, but for two entirely different reasons. For you, it was the emotional impact this book cover had on your best friend. For me, it was all the memories it brought back – going to Barnes & Nobles with my mom, scanning thrift store shelves with my best friends, and working in a library my junior year of high school. It made me remember how I felt during different times in my life.
We are looking at the same image and yet feeling different things. It’s like you said, art is personal.
Hello Jayne. I really enjoy your last sentence. I think that may be definition I consider to use, because it is truly hard to label art and out it into one tiny box of definitions. I think that the little computer drawing on the side of the whiteboard is art, but I agree that the whiteboard as a whole is not art. This si simply writing giving out information about wifi. As to the picture of the books, it is also art to me. Although I do not connect to it as much as you do, the grayscale as well as the angle make an impression on me. Also, the title connects to me as I continue to ask questions to myself.
x Marie Traore x
The first and second photos are truly beautiful. Nonetheless, the beautiful sunset combined with the jumping guy speaks so much art to anyone who can look at it. I totally agree with the fact that it is art because it really does show so much meaning even though we both have two different perspectives of the photo. To me, it reminds me of trips overseas and the beautiful sunsets while for you, it’s amazing moments with your boyfriend. So cute and really touching :)!
I love how you described your friends encounter with the book. I believe art has a great deal to do with context and so the story, as well as putting the scene in black and white, really gives the picture the extra mile it needs, for me personally, to be considered art.
The last picture you took, I also agree that I do not see it as art. Besides being appreciative of the wifi password, the picture does not convey any emotion to me.