What Is Art?
If you were to ask me this question, I would definitely have to smile and just show you any of the pieces of work that my children bring home from school. To me, this is the purest and most exquisite form of art that any man or woman has ever created. The reason that I would have to say this is because a true work of art comes from the heart, this is in no way to say that the monkey's painting is not art, or that the urinal in the video is not art. I think that those things are artistic and creative, but in my humble eyes not true works of art.
During the reading and searching that I did I came across some very interesting points. At arthistory.sbc.edu I read this: “During the Renaissance, the word Art emerges as a collective term encompassing Painting, Sculpture, and Architecture, and grouping given currency by the Italian artist and biographer Giorgio Vasari in the 16th century. Subsequently, this grouping was expanded to include Music and Poetry which became known in the 18th century as the 'Fine Arts'. These five Arts have formed an irreducible nucleus from which have been generally excluded the 'decorative arts' and 'crafts', such as pottery, weaving, metalworking, and furniture making, all of which have utility as an end”. To me this talks about how something can be artistic but not a true work of art, by grouping everything into one group and not letting individual pieces be known for what they are. At philosophytalk.org a Professor Alexander Nehamas states that the desire to make something special is characteristic of the artistic process. Finally, at everydayart.com there was a discussion page that helps to lead teachers on talking to students about how to define art.
In the end I think that the answer to the question is left best to the beholder of the work. I think that it is like the old statement; “One mans trash is another mans treasure”. What some of us would view to be a true work of art others will see a very nice painting, or photo etc...
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