What is Art?

[azurwarrior]

What is Art?
How do you define Art?
Does it need to be defined?
Should it be?

[Sackanaka]

This flax weighs three pounds.

[azurwarrior]

:wtf:

[dubbeltop]

Art is the expression of the subconscious in a physical way...Art is the illusion made visible....art is a tribute to feelings and emotions.....Art are the six senses of a human being...

[niezabijaj]

'art are the 6 senses of a human being'

i absolutely agree with this. i think that art has everything to do with the responder, and much less to do with the artwork.

[TelecomClone]

I consider art, like language, to be a form of communication. To differentiate it from any other form of communication, and thus give meaning to the term, I tend to consider it to be a specifically evocative abstraction. Emotional symbolism would seem to be centric to the definition.

If we do not define art, at least generally, then of what use is the word in the first place?

[azurwarrior]

If we do not define art, at least generally, then of what use is the word in the first place?[/QUOTE]TelecomClone

I think that's a very good question.
Why do we use the word art?
How does this definition/understanding /function play out in our lives?
Also, some experience go beyond words.
Does/should art capture some of that?
Why/Why not?
What role does enhancement or enrichment play in art and life?

[KuJo]

i think art is just the idea of conveying a message. like when you think of someone being artistic, you think of them trying to convey some message. They are using something other than telling you directly about some idea, some subject, some issue.

[Biff_Loman]

I'd say that most art serves the function of pre-loading our minds with heuristics so that we can avoid time-consuming cognitive processes when faced with problems to solve. Mainstream movies and literary narratives are the best example of this.

However, "high art," in my view, provides us with an experience so intense that it precludes the need for actual experience beyond the consumption of the art. That is to say: high art serves less as a preparation for living, and constitutes life experience itself. I suppose it could be called "transcendant."

[pangolin]

Art is the intentional provocative expression of a thought, emotion or beauty through an indirect medium.

Art may be judged on the quality of the thought, emotion, or aesthetic perception (concept) and on the execution of the expression (craftsmanship).

Superior art excels at both. If one or the other aspect is completely lacking, it may be said not to be art. Craftmanship with no conceptual backing is just craftmanship, and concept with no craftmanship is just crap.

[Snowflake]

Short and sweet: Art is everything.

[pangolin]

Short and sweet: Art is everything.

No, it is not.

[Snowflake]

No, it is not.Yes it is.

[Faust06]

Art is something we create.

From dictionary.com:
1. Human effort to imitate, supplement, alter, or counteract the work of nature.
2. The conscious production or arrangement of sounds, colors, forms, movements, or other elements in a manner that affects the sense of beauty, specifically the production of the beautiful in a graphic or plastic medium.

[Ghost-Girl]

It is not hard to understand modern art. If it hangs on a wall it's a painting, and if you can walk around it it's a sculpture. -Tom Stoppard


Just a fun quote I felt like sharing.

[pangolin]

Yes it is.

No, it is not. Art requires intentionality.