Skip to main content

What is art? What makes art?

The answer to this question has changed a lot over history, so it depends on when it is being asked. To the ancient Greeks art was what captured anything that was considered "beautiful" about the human form or organic world. That is no longer the case today. Today art is anything that turns something abstract, like an emotion, which has no shape or color or form but is something felt, into a physical thing, like a...

The answer to this question has changed a lot over history, so it depends on when it is being asked. To the ancient Greeks art was what captured anything that was considered "beautiful" about the human form or organic world. That is no longer the case today. Today art is anything that turns something abstract, like an emotion, which has no shape or color or form but is something felt, into a physical thing, like a painting, or anything that questions what art is. 


I had a professor in college who said that "it is the job of the philosopher to define what art is and it is the job of the artist to break that definition," meaning, art's job is to redefine what art is, so you could say that art is anything that redefines what art is in its historical moment. That could be as simple as painting something that has never been painted before, or as complex as something like Duchamp's Readymades, which forces us to ask, if a urinal is put in an art gallery, does that make it art? It's not this specific question but the fact that the object is forcing us to ask questions about art that makes the object art, because it is attempting to redefine what art is. 


The goal of postmodern art has always been to produce art that questions what art is, but art in previous periods had different goals, mainly to put into form abstract things like emotions. So today art can be anything that does either of those things. 

Popular posts from this blog

In chapter one of The Great Gatsby, what advice does Nick's father give him? How does this make him a good person to tell this story?

Nick says that his father advised him that, before "criticizing anyone," he "remember that all the people in this world haven't had the same advantages" as Nick.  As a result, Nick claims that he is "inclined to reserve all judgments," presenting himself to the reader as a fair and dispassionate arbiter of character, and thus, a reliable narrator.   The problem is that Nick immediately reveals himself as anything but reliable, as he then launches... Nick says that his father advised him that, before "criticizing anyone," he "remember that all the people in this world haven't had the same advantages" as Nick.  As a result, Nick claims that he is "inclined to reserve all judgments," presenting himself to the reader as a fair and dispassionate arbiter of character, and thus, a reliable narrator.   The problem is that Nick immediately reveals himself as anything but reliable, as he then launches into a discussion of how pe...
Post a Comment
Read more

How and why does James Gatz become Jay Gatsby? Describe the young Gatsby/Gatz.

James Gatz, a poor Midwestern boy of probable Jewish lineage, becomes Jay Gatsby, a presumed WASP and wealthy socialite, when he moves to New York City and acquires his fortune. It is wealth that has allowed Gatz to transform himself into Gatsby. However, those who know his background (e.g., Daisy and Tom Buchanan) never allow him to forget that he is nouveau riche -- that is, an upstart who has just recently made his fortune,... James Gatz, a poor Midwestern boy of probable Jewish lineage, becomes Jay Gatsby, a presumed WASP and wealthy socialite, when he moves to New York City and acquires his fortune. It is wealth that has allowed Gatz to transform himself into Gatsby. However, those who know his background (e.g., Daisy and Tom Buchanan) never allow him to forget that he is nouveau riche -- that is, an upstart who has just recently made his fortune, whereas they arose from well-to-do families. Gatz became Gatsby through determination and discipline. At the end of the novel, the narr...
Post a Comment
Read more

Explain and discuss how the definitions of freedom change for the nation, for the freedmen and for southern whites after the Civil War.

After the Civil War, the definition of freedom changed in the nation, as slavery was ended with the 13th Amendment to the Constitution in 1865. The practice of slavery was disallowed, but definition of the freedom that would take its place was a subject of controversy, ongoing debate, and even violence in the decades to come.  For freedmen, freedom often meant reconciling with their families, who were broken up by slavery; choosing which church to... After the Civil War, the definition of freedom changed in the nation, as slavery was ended with the 13th Amendment to the Constitution in 1865. The practice of slavery was disallowed, but definition of the freedom that would take its place was a subject of controversy, ongoing debate, and even violence in the decades to come.  For freedmen, freedom often meant reconciling with their families, who were broken up by slavery; choosing which church to belong to without being ordered to attend religious services (or not to attend) by their mast...
Post a Comment
Read more