What is art?

[sexobon]

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce

Oh, I know... Art is a diverse range of human activities in creating visual, auditory or performing artifacts, 'cause Wiki said so.

Thou art being perfunctory.

[lumberjim]

Art is imagery etc, that makes you feel things other than the literal representation of the medium in use.

[infinite monkey]

Originally Posted by lumberjim

Art is imagery etc, that makes you feel things other than the literal representation of the medium in use.

Yes!

[gvidas]

Throughout history gatekeepers and rich folk have tried to control society by refusing to acknowledge as art the artworks which they don't like. With the privilege of hindsight, it makes a lot of sense to skip ahead and embrace everything: Art is anything that anybody says is art.

The more important question is: what is good art?

And that's usually a pretty subjective, personal question.

It makes a lot of sense to me to walk through an art museum and find lots of things that you don't give a damn about. In what ways is your life relatable to that of someone living in Europe in the 1870s? (And so on for every other decade and continent represented)

[sexobon]

LJ has mastered the art of persuasion.

[glatt]

LJ expressed well what I was trying to say in my post.

The problem is that even that definition doesn't capture some things well. I think most people would be in agreement that Mikhail Baryshnikov dancing ballet is considered art. But when I watch him dance, it doesn't make me feel anything other than impressed at his skill. It's pretty and impressive, but doesn't evoke anything else. The medium is dance, the feeling it evokes is nothing. Maybe that's just me. But I wouldn't protest if anyone called his dancing "art." I'd agree with them.

[Spexxvet]

To me, art must communicate something, preferably pleasurable, but cannot have a practical purpose.

[xoxoxoBruce]

I guess that rules out porn, Spex.

[lumberjim]

Originally Posted by glatt

LJ expressed well what I was trying to say in my post.

The problem is that even that definition doesn't capture some things well. I think most people would be in agreement that Mikhail Baryshnikov dancing ballet is considered art. But when I watch him dance, it doesn't make me feel anything other than impressed at his skill. It's pretty and impressive, but doesn't evoke anything else. The medium is dance, the feeling it evokes is nothing. Maybe that's just me. But I wouldn't protest if anyone called his dancing "art." I'd agree with them.

I differentiate dance, etc as 'performance art' Performance being the operative word. There's talent, and skill there, but you're right.... It seldom evokes ant reaction beyond admiration of their skill. There are exceptions of course.

To me, poetry is art because it conveys messages or images without actually depicting them. A portrait of a head or a still life is where my interpretation breaks down. It's art, but it's really just a snap shot.

On the other hand, a photograph of a person's head can be art.... so...

[xoxoxoBruce]

Of course, this photograph sold for $1,089,335.

[lumberjim]

That's not art. That's crazy people doing crazy things.

[glatt]

I think the potato photo is art, just not very effective. Pretty to look at, like ballet. Not worth $1M.

[Happy Monkey]

Art is trying to say something a different way.

[sexobon]

Expressing oneself differently constitutes art.



.....................^Who wants to buy it?^.......................

[Undertoad]

sexo "inessential" right, that's a strange quality of it; it's art because we do it for some other reason, or purpose, not because we had to in order to fulfill the basic needs.

But none of us would chose a life without it.