What is ART?
When the question was asked in the lecture, classmates came up with various definitions. "Something creative", "Something beautiful", "Art expresses the author's emotion and feeling" Even by the google search, There have been various definitions of art. "Art is a discovery and development of elementary principles of nature into beautiful forms suitable for human use.", "Art is something that is created with imagination and skill and that is beautiful or that expresses important ideas or feelings", "Art is works created by artists : paintings, sculptures, etc., that are created to be beautiful or to express important ideas or feelings" It seems like art cannot be defined by just a few sentences. I said art is something that challenges audience, as it makes the audience to think. Although it was hard to clearly define art with a single sentence, one fact I learned from the lecture was: anything can be called 'art' when the author calls it art. |
Me, You and Everyone We know
As I have learned that anything can be art, the movie clip we saw during the lecture made me think. When Christine handed her video tape to the woman, she refused to take it and told her to send it to the address. However, when a famous artist put a rubbish on the floor, she was amazed and said it's a great art piece.
I wondered, "Who decides what is a good art? Can anyone do that?"
In my opinion, no one can or should decide which artwork is good and which artwork is not. No matter if he/she is an expert in art or not.
Since I never took art-related classes before and do not have much experience in visiting exhibitions and art galleries as well, I don't really know much about art, artists, and art history. As I'm not an art professional, I don't try to criticise any of the artwork but just try to figure out what the artist is trying to express. I don't mean that people who are highly educated in art can. Different artists have different values and styles. They should be respected and appreciated just the way they are.
I wondered, "Who decides what is a good art? Can anyone do that?"
In my opinion, no one can or should decide which artwork is good and which artwork is not. No matter if he/she is an expert in art or not.
Since I never took art-related classes before and do not have much experience in visiting exhibitions and art galleries as well, I don't really know much about art, artists, and art history. As I'm not an art professional, I don't try to criticise any of the artwork but just try to figure out what the artist is trying to express. I don't mean that people who are highly educated in art can. Different artists have different values and styles. They should be respected and appreciated just the way they are.
Marcel Duchamp, 1887- 1968
This artwork 'Fountain' done by Marcel Duchamp is a readymade art. He bought the urinal and put his name on it. The story professor told was very interesting. The famous artist Marcel Duchamp put his fake name on a toilet and submitted it to an exhibition. The exhibition was suppose to accept all members' submission, but made an exception this time and refused to exhibit the urinal. He then stood out and disclosed that the 'Fountain' was his work. | He said, even though he did not make the urinal himself, it is his art because he chose it to be. What Marcel Duchamp did became hot issue and reminded the art world about the definition of art. Although there are still some perception in our mind, things got much better than the past. People came to accept different types of art and they are more open-minded to various style of art. After the lecture, I reflected upon my first impression and thoughts about 'Fountain'. At first I reacted based on my perception and thought and thought 'What was he thinking?'. Now I am trying to apply what I have learned from the lecture to see art pieces without perception and judging. |