What is Art?

[f3raligatr]

What constitutes art?

What makes good art? What ranks a drawing? Is it isolated to pen and paper..?

[Liam]

Something that makes you happy, and other people sad (but they don't matter).

[f3raligatr]

Something that makes you happy, and other people sad (but they don't matter).

Is art emotion, then?

Can I, for instance, throw a can of paint at a wall and call it art because it represents frustration, anger, depression..?

[OpallapO]

Art is whatever you want it to be.

[Liam]

Is art emotion, then?

Can I, for instance, throw a can of paint at a wall and call it art because it represents frustration, anger, depression..?

Yeah, I guess so.

There will be critics, of course, but as long as you're happy representing your emotions in that way you can call it whatever you like. Art may be too subjective to define perfectly.

[OpallapO]

I don't understand how anyone can criticise art because art can be anything. People create art to express an opinion or emotion that is personal to them. It is something the want to share with the world to get their point across, or maybe show people another side to something. Art has no definition or boundaries, so how can someone decide whether a piece of art is good or bad? They can have an opinion, but it is just an opinion, and therefore not right or wrong.

[MRxo]

It's all completely open to interpretation. That's why anything can be art.

[Sebastian Moran]

art is bunk. 
 
that above sentence is a statement on the current attitudes towards art in an environment where unemployment is high, the economy is broken and people listless: they feel betrayed by something and anything designed for something as "non-essential" as an emotionally invoking thing, emphasizing the rush of modern day life and the cynicism bred by the disappointment of society, turning their backs on anything which requires thought and pause without any direct, physical or monetary reward. 
 

[That Girl in the 'Roo Suit]

Art is creation. The oxford dictionary defines it as:

the expression or application of human creative skill and imagination, typically in a visual form such as painting or sculpture, producing works to be appreciated primarily for their beauty or emotional power

Typically, yes, it is visual. But on a larger scale, art is far wider. For me, art is the ability to express something. For example I would, to an extent, class history as a form of art. It is not necessarily the events themselves that is art, but the way historians record them, incorporating their own thoughts on the subject is what makes it an art form.

Baking is another one: translating food into something delicious. What you can do with staple ingredients to create something new.

It's a beautiful thing.

[Kpyna]

Art is like what everyone else says, something that evokes emotion. You don't necessarily need talent to produce art, and just because I consider its art doesn't mean its good. at all.

gotta say though, some stuff i have a difficult time considering art if its blantant rip-offs of someones own work. as in, someone can not simply unearth a sink designed by someone else and then call it his art. it doesnt work that way if theres 0 creativity involved.

[Turner]

I think art is more like an uncontrollable 6th sense we all have. You can look at the most mundane thing at a certain way and there can be something artistic about it, other times it's just a piece of crap on the floor or something.

[lets all go out for some frosty chocolate milkshakes]

art is pointless navelgazing

[Webby]

I don't even think "what is art?" is an interesting question. Might be because it's what I'm writing for my dissertation. 4,700 words in and the definition of art gets boring. It's all intuition anyway. Doesn't matter if it's an objective or subjective matter, it's all a matter of how perceptive we are to these things.

[That Girl in the 'Roo Suit]

See, this is where it /does/ get interesting Daniel =]

Are you looking at art for art's sake, or propaganda? Because I can tell you for a fact in some civilisations there was no such thing as art because of art. Everything you see from certain parts of the world is all propaganda, regardless of how beautifully crafted/presented it is... But that's because you see the official stuff. Look beyond that, and you have a select few pieces again with an intended purpose, but reveal more about the people rather than the politics...

[MonsterMon64]

This is a personal issue for me, because it's something I struggle with as someone who likes to draw, but is far from professional. There are so many forms of art it's hard to pin it down, but usually when it comes to things that aren't so-abstract-it's-totally-open-for-interpretation, there's typically an unspoken standard as to what constitutes "good art".

You may personally like something for whatever reason, but (for example) if it's drawn in MS Paint, it's kind of shaky visually, and the guy behind the image is seriously hoping to make it big with this pic, could you honestly just let him give it a shot because "it's art"? The chances are a million to one that anyone would give just any old drawing in Paint a second glance. You either need connections or enough talent/skill to constitute the tools and/or end results.

Of course, it depends on what you want to do with your art. If it's all for expression or fun, then it really shouldn't matter what people say about it. If you're constantly wanting to improve, or you have people to impress, goals for making a show, comic, etc, or you just want to reduce the chances of being perceived as a "sucky artist" by a certain percentage, it's gonna take practice, study, application, etc. It's a dog-eat-dog world out there, and lightning seldom strikes the same place twice.

And for some people-- myself included-- it's kind of intimidating.

I dunno, I feel like this entire post is a confession of sorts, but I guess I realized something about myself in making it: I see art as a means to an end. A chance to open the door for greater things... but not a substitute for what you want to achieve.