I was in a roughly 3 hr debate with a drawing major, a video major, and my self (photo), I'll just not say who they are. Anyway, we talked about "what is "art"?"... huge...central idea...different mediums...technology...time...ON AND ON...
I think we came to a conclusion, at least I thought, (there was alot of debate and drunkin yelling), that "ART" is... "the way one perceives reality or wants to protray reality through ones own thought and ideas and the conscious decisions that make it in that way"...I might have messed it up a little, but it was something like that.
I know this is very vague, but does it make sense? I mean to think about "art" not just as photography or just one medium? Isn't this what we should all want to achieve?
I guess what we were trying to define is, should it be so defined? or should it be different form lets say: drawing/painting to video to photography Etc. ? Should it start here and branch off?
It might be hard to have a "debate" on here but let me know what you think.
Good food for thought.
Is this what junior year is about???
~tom
i think this is what life is about; at least for the artist. i have to say, i quite favor that definition. it alludes to the belief that art is not just about method or process (or, if you must, medium) but rather about intention. and that intention is to say that the work is not about the what but about the why.
ReplyDeleteDuane Michals: "I am an expressionist and by that I mean I'm not a photographer or a writer or a painter or a tap dancer, but rather someone who expresses himself according to his needs."
perhaps to spark another debate, i had picked up one of miad's brochures that are outside the admissions office to send to a friend of mine. written across the front page were the words : WE ALL NEED ART.
ReplyDeletei didn't think any thing of it at first, but then came back to it and began thinking about the question. is it true? do we ALL need art? not to create it, but to be in its presence. for those that appreciate it, perhaps, and for artists well certainly; but what of every one else? is art universally required? it is as necessary as, say, food or sleep? is it or should it be this way for all?
Rilke: "In the stillest moment of your night, you must ask yourself a question: If it were denied you to create, would you truly die? If the answer is yes, you have no choice; if the answer is no, please go and do something else."
Yeah very interesting. I think this hits a very similar thing though. defining art. lets say the average person on the sreet vs an art student. im not really sure where im going with this, but as far as WE ALL NEEDING ART, I guess to a degree everyone does. Hmmm, but what is that... interesting to think about.
ReplyDeleteI think that's a well stated definition as well, the point is thought, statement, knowledge and enlightenment over all else.
ReplyDeleteGood thoughts, Aryn...It's hard to look past what we've grown a part of and figure out if it's necessary to the rest of the world, but honestly I think it is. Maybe they don't see it the way we do, maybe it means something vastly different for them, but it's still a level of communication beyond words, which is extremely important. Written or spoken language can only convey so much, and with art volumes can be expressed where no words are present. I don't think people would readily admit they NEED art, but in a subconscious way I think it's totally necessary. Plus it makes everything so much more fun! Seriously this world would be dull as shit without art. I can't even imagine how boring it'd be.
Thank you for the quotes, as well. They're great!
Another good definition I have heard:
ReplyDelete"The medium conveying awareness of a perceived reality to the sensory perception of other humans."
-Robert Bednarik
nice. I like it.
ReplyDeleteYesterday Molly was telling us about a book she is reading by a French(?) philosopher, who describes what "art" is in a really wonderful way. He says that everyone has a "truth" inside of them, like a ball of white light. Our duty is to get that truth from point A to point B, in whatever medium works best. When you have successfully delivered your truth to point B, others will see it and their own truths will light up inside them. Your art will say to them, "you are not alone in this."
ReplyDeleteisn't that cool?
Oh Sarah! That's lovely! Could you get the name of the Frenchwoman for me? I'd love to read some of that. What a wonderful way to think about art.
ReplyDelete