Perhaps, as the character Sergeant Colon put it in Terry Pratchett’s Discworld books, art is a bunch of naked fat ladies, a piece of gauze, and an urn. While this seems to be a characteristic of much classic, world-renowned art, it is slightly too exclusive. ;)
Is art an expression of human emotion? Perhaps this one gets closer to the truth, but then what makes Great Art great? What makes a really quite stiff portrait by a great master receive acclaim and a central spot in a museum exhibit, while a 4-year-old’s finger painting, full to bursting with passion and enthusiasm, is relegated to the fridge?
The Webster English dictionary defines art as “The conscious use of skill and creative imagination, especially in the production of aesthetic objects.” This definition, in a way, brings me to my little rant: modern art.
Now, I’m not griping about all modern art--I think some of it is beautiful and challenging and courageous. But tell me--how does a big beige canvas sell for millions? How come if I splash some red paint on a piece of paper and scrape it with a stick, I do not automatically become a great Artist? Perhaps the truth is that I need to glue my hairdryer to a canvas and then explain how I’ve lost the wonder of it as I lost the wonder of my childhood. Looking at it this way, it seems like the creation of ‘art’ doesn’t take much skill, but it sure does take imaginative creativity--in convincing people that my latest piece is full of meaning, and not just a cop-out.
Or maybe what I really have to do is make something that halfway expresses an actual concept or feeling, get lucky and become rich from it, so that when people see my newest piece of expensive blue paper, they’ll struggle to interpret it, and finally give up due to their inferior understanding. Perhaps I’m a bit too cynical, but how much of art is based on reputation? If all art was judged individually and objectively, (on ‘skill’, remember?) instead of by its birthright, would many artists be forced to return to their day jobs?
I’m just sayin’…
And even then, who says all art is human, anyway? Is there not art in a raindrop, a bird’s song, a mountain range, or a sunset? If a flower blooms in a forest, and no one is there to see it, is it art?
Perhaps our definitions of the word need to be reevaluated.
