Art.

[needlegrrl]

This is a recurring discussion i have with myself, and i'd like to encourage you to all join in on it. :)

What is art?

Define, and discuss, please. i'll chime in in a bit, but i want to know what you guys think.

Comments

[ninsun.livejournal.com]

art is really hard to define.
it is anything that you think is beautiful.
it is a well created idea.
art is.....

[needlegrrl]

a well-created idea, or simply a creation?

i agree that it's hard to define. i find that i tend to have trouble distinguishing that art comes in more flavors than "fine" art, or paintings, etc.

[ninsun.livejournal.com]

agreed.

[night101owl.livejournal.com]

I spent a full semester doing a survey of how this question has been approached by different philosophies at different times, and the best answer I've found (which I like because it's MEAN and SARCASTIC as hell), is that if the art world (critics, curators, buyers, etc.) deems it art, then it's art. I like it because it's defined by it's subjectiveness, and it's an answer, but it's so NOT the answer people are looking for. It also sticks its tongue out at Jerry Falwell and company, because in their protest of Mapplethorpe and others, they physically gave the stuff they were protesting more meaning, pushed it more firmly into the realm of art, in the way they showcased it and gave it publicity.

I do anjoy the work that's been created in the last century, where the creators have purposefully attempted to stretch the definition of art. It engages my mind in very fun ways.

[nightelectric.livejournal.com]

in school i gathered that art is any expression which is subjective and can have different meanings to different viewers without detracting from the value of the expression. design is different because it has a single message that must be understood by everyone that sees it.

those are just my thoughts! i still havn't figured out the difference between some art and porn yet...

[efire360.livejournal.com]

Art is a synthesis of an idea, your imagination and your environment. An artist is someone who is able to transform mundane physical elements into a communicator that expresses a feeling, an idea, a sense or a protest about external and/or internal chaos. Art provokes a visceral experience in the viewer, tricking one into believing that art has a life of its own or that it possesses a depth usually attributed only to sentient beings.

[hdiandrew.livejournal.com]

This was one of the fellow's at the first Mythic Journeys

http://www.artis-online.net/

[ahpook-is-here.livejournal.com]

Art is anything that is said or done with the intention of evoking a response.