tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30618809.post6368536599279629238..comments2023-11-22T01:09:46.040-08:00Comments on myartspace>blog: The Danger of Defining ArtBrian Skibahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03707398699208090454noreply@blogger.comBlogger34125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30618809.post-75115161288499089742007-07-25T15:25:00.000-07:002007-07-25T15:25:00.000-07:00In order to better understand what is or is not ar...In order to better understand what is or is not art, perhaps it would be helpful to try and imagine an urban space that doesn't have any.<BR/><BR/>OK, let's try to imagine the City Without Art.<BR/><BR/>At work,You can turn on the radio, but there's no music. Music doesn't exist. Just talk: news, opinion, advertising, propaganda...<BR/><BR/>At the end of your working day, you can't go to the hamlet279https://www.blogger.com/profile/16854732658325060557noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30618809.post-83889467616510128312007-07-23T14:37:00.000-07:002007-07-23T14:37:00.000-07:00Oh the woes of false idols. Shit can be art, and b...Oh the woes of false idols. Shit can be art, and be a con, or a philosophical object or just shit. But again, it goes back to intent, processes and context. What did the dog eat? Where does he live? Who owns him? How long to process the kibbles and bits into shits? Why the park? Does the dog have a sense of humor? Is that a sneaker print in the pile of poo? Who's sneaker? What kind of sneaker? Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30618809.post-83823466863468424542007-07-22T21:41:00.000-07:002007-07-22T21:41:00.000-07:00I am an artist, a painter. I have found this to be...I am an artist, a painter. I have found this to be the most perplexing question and have had many discussions about it and must admit with never any resolve. I think the problem is one of philosophy and context. Lets go to the extreme. A dog shits in the park, its a dog shit, no more, no less. A guy comes along and after some thought scoops it up and puts it in a gallery. Waxing lyrical about itsAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30618809.post-6309125848148142432007-07-22T17:44:00.000-07:002007-07-22T17:44:00.000-07:00Lacey, "It appears to me that you fear that when p...Lacey, <BR/><BR/>"It appears to me that you fear that when people start defining art, then pretty soon anything non-realism would be out."<BR/><BR/>I don't have that form of fear. It is obvious from my interviews that I welcome various forms of art and artists. I work to gain exposure for as many artists as I can regardless of their background.<BR/><BR/>"The ARC will never be able to destroy Balhatainhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08812426376810899256noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30618809.post-7224302055577357392007-07-22T14:35:00.000-07:002007-07-22T14:35:00.000-07:00Art CAN be defined, it's just not a simple thing t...Art CAN be defined, it's just not a simple thing to do. Forming that kind of definition would require much more than 'I think that...' and 'I'd say that...'<BR/><BR/>Subjectivity? Yes, we all have our own points of view, but there are also some clearly defined standards developed by people who spent their lives researching the topic so other people could use them as reference points. <BR/><BR/>I Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04384570623745394564noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30618809.post-20821928246016637032007-07-22T09:49:00.000-07:002007-07-22T09:49:00.000-07:00Brian, I am glad that you have at least said that ...Brian, I am glad that you have at least said that not everything is art.<BR/><BR/>You talk about fear, and I must say I am not afraid of people who say everything is art or people who create art that isn't like mine. I have no problems with people doing what they like, and if they are able to show it, sell it, be accepted, then great, whatever!<BR/><BR/>It appears to me that you fear that when Laceyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08408994975009399128noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30618809.post-12517053564987020382007-07-21T15:36:00.000-07:002007-07-21T15:36:00.000-07:00Art can't be defined. Simply because of the subje...Art can't be defined. Simply because of the subjectivity placed on it. Attempts to define art just result in movements and not definitions. The problem with this, of course, is that without a definition than anything can be called "art" and then it comes down to judging what's good art vs bad art, which is just a whole other thing.<BR/><BR/>It's sorta like the mule with a spinnin' wheel. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13749021694361157871noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30618809.post-23968375042721506822007-07-21T11:29:00.000-07:002007-07-21T11:29:00.000-07:00I agree with you completely!! Art, like beauty, i...I agree with you completely!! Art, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder - or of the creator, as the case may be. Any "new" form of art has always been questioned by traditionalists - Monet and VanGogh, as you mentioned. But today they are universally accepted as not just artists, but great ones.<BR/><BR/>Some art, as you said, is bad. Art should be what you feel it should be. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30618809.post-7698699666739609212007-07-21T08:06:00.000-07:002007-07-21T08:06:00.000-07:00I have been interested in art therapy for years, a...I have been interested in art therapy for years, and to me art is a form of non-verbal communication and allows people to express their emotions in a safe way where-as there are not always words to express what they are feeling, or they don't always know what they are feeling and the creation of art speaks to you about what is in your subconscious mind. I don't believe that only realism is Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30618809.post-53525309553420116582007-07-21T06:22:00.000-07:002007-07-21T06:22:00.000-07:00This is an interesting article that begs an answer...This is an interesting article that begs an answer to the age old question of what is art.<BR/><BR/>During the late 1950's and through the 1960's into the early 1970's many artists held the belief that art was not to be owned. Even some major artists of the day ceased to sign their work.<BR/><BR/>Maybe the best known reaction to "what is art?" Came from a young California artist by the name of Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30618809.post-235870225496307962007-07-21T02:16:00.000-07:002007-07-21T02:16:00.000-07:00"Or do you mean that something is art just because..."Or do you mean that something is art just because someone points at something and says that it is art. Like if I pointed at a mountain and said that it is art? You can point at objects all day and say that they are art but I doubt you will get very far doing that. I agree that it is art if you say that it is art but I would see it as pretentious art."<BR/><BR/>This is what I understood from thisAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30618809.post-76846097954834057772007-07-21T01:08:00.000-07:002007-07-21T01:08:00.000-07:00Shahin,Your English is actually good. You said, "...Shahin,<BR/><BR/>Your English is actually good. <BR/><BR/>You said, <BR/><BR/>"I am not sure I understood this. If art is everything then why we restrict art only to human production or interpretation.Is a tree peace of art?"<BR/><BR/>Your original statement made it sound as if you were suggesting that a non-human being can create art, that a tree creates art simply by being a tree. With that Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30618809.post-17771916617887631832007-07-21T00:32:00.000-07:002007-07-21T00:32:00.000-07:00Anonymous, I like how it sounds but does it really...Anonymous, I like how it sounds but does it really mean anything.If one doesn't want to make art he can just go and drink coffee. When Rimbaud decide not to make art he traveled and worked as a clerk and never wrote anything else what we consider to be a poetry. <BR/><BR/>You say tree is kind of stupid to use as an example but if a planter says he is watching this tree grow with intention of "Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30618809.post-55331202371132060082007-07-21T00:03:00.000-07:002007-07-21T00:03:00.000-07:00There are no rules for photography, only good phot...There are no rules for photography, only good photographs.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30618809.post-11509542388005943882007-07-20T23:45:00.000-07:002007-07-20T23:45:00.000-07:00I did not read him say anything about everything b...I did not read him say anything about everything being art Shahin. He is saying that all art should be considered art if the artist intended it to be art and that art should be judged as good or bad art instead of art or not art. I agree with Brian on this and I'm also puzzled why others do not.<BR/><BR/>Brian also said that it is art even if the artist intended the painting, sculpture, or Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30618809.post-66246034115367232572007-07-20T23:06:00.000-07:002007-07-20T23:06:00.000-07:00He is not saying everything is art. He is saying t...He is not saying everything is art. He is saying that everything created with the intent to be art is art and should be addressed as art. I agree with him on this. People once laughed at my wood carvings and said that they were not art. I now sell higher than most of the artists in my community.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30618809.post-38095650940295914292007-07-20T22:38:00.000-07:002007-07-20T22:38:00.000-07:00I am not sure I understood this. If art is everyth...I am not sure I understood this. If art is everything then why we restrict art only to human production or interpretation.Is a tree peace of art? Is the Urinal peace of art before it got to a gallery, or after and who is then real creator Duchamp or the guy who produced this urinal. We do make distinction between a publisher and a writer right so why is this different in visual art. <BR/>There Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30618809.post-54410203292322041672007-07-20T16:22:00.000-07:002007-07-20T16:22:00.000-07:00Unless we simply like to continue debating a riddl...Unless we simply like to continue debating a riddle that has no answer, why do we need to define ART? If you are a retailer, then you care about "art" that sells. If you are a consumer, then you should purchase "art" that you like - not what someone tells you that you should like. If you're an artist, then do whatever it is that pleases you. Who else really cares what art IS? We may scorn certainAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30618809.post-60773131719573300102007-07-20T15:28:00.000-07:002007-07-20T15:28:00.000-07:00I've been reading the comments and I have to same ...I've been reading the comments and I have to same something about the profession of being an artist. I don't think it is fair to say that an artist is not professional just because no work has been sold. There are mechanics who decided to do that as a profession but don't get jobs. Professions just like art can have good or bad practitioners. Anyone who spends countless hours in a studio are Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30618809.post-29208132050673258462007-07-20T15:18:00.000-07:002007-07-20T15:18:00.000-07:00Interesting thread Brian and to be honest I have t...Interesting thread Brian and to be honest I have to agree with it, everyone is different and what is accepted now wouldn't have been in the past, plus as stated other peoples work wasn't accepted then. Dont know really myself I paint what I want, probably has a retro look to it but I can't help that, I just paint, never consider what is popular or contemporary really, just do it because I want toAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30618809.post-64158936504255194152007-07-20T14:58:00.000-07:002007-07-20T14:58:00.000-07:00please no more.this subject is corny and subject t...please no more.<BR/>this subject is corny and subject to subjectivness.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30618809.post-14423633100359273452007-07-20T14:27:00.000-07:002007-07-20T14:27:00.000-07:00Owen, (This is a quick reply, I have to get back t...Owen, (This is a quick reply, I have to get back to work on some interviews.)<BR/><BR/>I'm glad that you have strong views. It is OK for Yoder and the rest of ARC to have their opinion as well. However, their motives are very negative and go beyond a simple viewpoint of what they feel art should be. Read some of their forums and you will know what I'm talking about. <BR/><BR/>In their eyes you Balhatainhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08812426376810899256noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30618809.post-62343079720219858402007-07-20T13:31:00.000-07:002007-07-20T13:31:00.000-07:00Balhatain said... "ARC is dangerous in that it is ...Balhatain said... <BR/><BR/>"ARC is dangerous in that it is funded by several very wealthy individuals. Money is power and power is influence. These guys feel that only the art they support deserves to be in museums and art galleries. They are the perfect example of what can happen when people start to define art strictly.<BR/><BR/>My opinion is that all art should be accepted as art. That does Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30618809.post-84130711533669943112007-07-20T13:06:00.000-07:002007-07-20T13:06:00.000-07:00I was just watching "the power of art" on pbs abou...I was just watching "the power of art" on pbs about "rembrandt", which addressed this issue. It's a great show, I can only summerize the story but basicly it went like this.... <BR/><BR/>He began to fall out of favour with the elite due to his depiction of a powerful figure. The person refused to pay for the work becuase he was offended by the representation and basicly bad mouthed him within theAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30618809.post-40146465192342262392007-07-20T11:38:00.000-07:002007-07-20T11:38:00.000-07:00I can relate to several of the views here. However...I can relate to several of the views here. However, I will stick to my opinion that art is art. If the creator says that it is art... it is art. We should only question, in simple terms, if it is good or bad. Define art on those terms, but do not strip someone of their right to call their creations, work, whatever you wish to call it- art.<BR/><BR/>Just because it is art does not mean that it Balhatainhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08812426376810899256noreply@blogger.com