Hey folks,
Over the past week, people posted many widely different examples of the arts, and to varying degrees, people explained how those works of art touched them. We’ve seen everything from classical painting to anime, from experimental music to pop, from sculpture to comedy. But nobody really grappled much with the tough question of what makes a work of art. So here are some questions for the brave: What is art? What are the characteristics of a work of art? Are there universals in art, things we can point to and say, in all cultures (or even, for that matter, in all these posts), we find art doing these things or filling these needs? Is it even possible to define art?
Let’s go easy on ourselves, though. Let’s not try to define art all in one fell swoop. Instead, as you post, try to identify one quality of art.
Okay. So let's see who's brave enough to bite.
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One of the salient qualities of art is its expression of emotion, which can be positive or negative. The function of art is to provoke a reaction similar to the artist’s intent. However, even if it does not generate the artist’s desired reaction, it can still be popular, enjoyed, and be considered a good work.
ReplyDeleteI mostly agree with what Chris has mentioned above about his belief that "One of the salient qualities of art is its expression of emotion, which can be positive or negative." I'd like to extend this idea in saying that art, in any form, is great art if it creates a cathartic experience in its observer. Whether it be looking at a painting, listening to a song, reading a poem, or watching a movie, each must touch its observer in such a way to make them think, ponder, find agreement with, or argue with completely. A couple of semesters ago I took Literary Criticism and we spent most of the semester tackling these same types of questions. I remember someone proposing that a good work of art is anything that creates an emotional experience (much like Chris & I have). Professor Festa's witty response to that was "Well then the movie Superbad is a good piece of art because it makes you have an emotional experience..it makes you laugh?" Thinking back on this class discussion, I am reminded that a fine line must be drawn between Superbad and an author like Thoreau who believes that we must structure our lives in such a way in order to make it a work of art. Then we must consider that we are all different and have different taste. So, while I may think that Thoreau creates good art, others may feel that Superbad is truly good art. Whose to say who is wrong? Is there a real answer to the question about what good art is? Ugh!
ReplyDeleteAt some levels, I'm interested in the question of what makes one piece of art better than another, but like both Meaghan and Spitnuz say, so much of what people prefer seems so subjective.
ReplyDeleteOne way to approach this would be to consider genre and expertise. We could argue, to take Sptsnaz's example, that while a much large swath of the general population might prefer The Backstreet Boys to Charlie Mingus, among people who really value music, it's taken for granted that Mingus is the greater artist.
But really, at the moment, I'm much more interested in the way works of art work. So I'm less interested in differentiating between Mingus and The Back Street Boys than I am in figuring out why both are readily identifiable as art, while my 1995 Saturn isn't. And I think Chris has hit on one major facet of art: it involves emotions--it either expresses or evokes emotions.
So evoking emotions is one characteristic of art. What are some more?
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ReplyDeleteHmmmm....whenever i think of this question i am always reminded of Marcel Duchamp and how he questions our preconceptions of what art actually is. His readymades serve as a demonstration that really anything outside of its natural environment is art because it will create intrigue. That's at least how I understand his philosophy, but then why exactly can't we say that everything that is man-made or that is a representation of some concept in the human mind is a work of art. I guess I would have to say that on a personal level, I consider art as something that evokes some kind of emotion; i feel that it should serve as a catalyst by which I am able to explore humanity in its various manifestations. In doing so, I feel that I am able to come to some higher level of understanding of the human race as a whole.
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