What is Art ?
"Art establishes the basic human truths that should serve as the touchstone of our judgement." John F. Kennedy
The object of this talk is to give an overview of the basic questions in Art which remain so confusing for so many. I will try to describe more precisely the words "Art" and "artist". I do not think that these are my opinions, but rather observations that have been made over time but not well expressed. I'm talking about, and using the word, Art with a capital "A", to mean Art of historical importance.
One of the goals of this discourse is to free ourselves from our complexes around the idea of Art, which prevent us from expressing ourselves, creating, and doing for the mere pleasure, while recognising that there are distinctions between Art which we consider to be some of the finest examples of human creation, from Leonardo da Vinci to Cy Twombly, and art as a form of hobby or personal pleasure.
We have had trouble making such distinctions because they imply that art which does not have historical significance is of little value, which is not true. We need to liberate freedom of expression for everyone in whatever form, while understanding and recognising that the artists we consider to be part of Art’s history are there by virtue of having done something profoundly exceptional, original and influential.
Creating such definitions helps us towards a better understanding of how culture functions, how culture could be organised to help significant artistic practice, to devise ways for everybody to be able to access significant culture, and to enable the practice of creative activities for all.
Being an historically significant artist means doing something which becomes part of the rich and varied history of cultural forms which contribute to and substantially improve the quality of our lives by giving us meaning and pleasure. Reading about Art and the history of Art, I have not found a definition of Art that is not very ambiguous, so I propose the following :
Art is a manifestation of humankind’s creative and imaginative faculties which, like any creative discipline, is conditioned to a large degree by the sum of its history.
Artists are aware of what has happened in Art’s history. Art develops and evolves, and can change appearance and forms, but maintains values of depth, resonance and meaning in a creatively expressed desire for human betterment.
The consensus which creates Art history is not arbitrary or subjective, particular to any individual. What becomes recognised as historically significant Art is decided by a consensus of the most respected artists, critics, gallerists, curators and historians which recognises, through successive generations, those artists who have made work, and a contribution to the development of Art, which is significant and enduring.
Indeed, what is beautiful, looking at the history of any creative medium, is to recognise that there is a very large degree of consensus over those artists who deserve a place in history. Why did the Beatles’ music touch so many people? Why does the work of Vincent van Gogh resonate for decades and centuries? It is because cultural forms expresses universal feelings, common to, perhaps not all, but a very substantial number of people. There is something important and touching in these universalities, which says that we are all human beings - individuals of course - but connected to a common sense of understanding and humanity, and there is often a surprising degree of consensus as to what we find profound, moving, and beautiful.
Art and culture, being a reflection of common experiences, help us to understand ourselves, and to find meaning in a world that often overwhelms us. The world of culture is a world of feelings, thought, expression, creativity, reflection, imagination and understanding.
Looking more closely at artistic practices, we can observe three approximate categories:
- Art recognised over decades and centuries as of historical importance
- as a serious and often professional practice but not necessarily part of the canon of Art history
- art made simply for pleasure or personal expression
These approximate categories subdivide into further nuances and are merely intended to give some guides for debate.
The essential values of Art arguably lie in the first and third categories - Art of historical significance - which is rare, profound and original - and unpretentious creative, personal expression.
Such attempts at clarity and definitions for Art arouse strong emotions and are often unpopular. But we have, as a society, yet to give adequate recognition to the enormous benefits of Art and culture, which cover a vast array of different intentions and practices, in part due to our inability to make distinctions between historically significant Art and a hobby.
Depth, originality and authenticity are essential for serious culture to serve its central purpose of bringing profound meaning and pleasure to our lives. In order to value cultural works as the finest representations of the creative and imaginative capacities of the human condition.
When humanity needs to show what is most profound and inspiring about the human being it turns systematically to the Arts, to show with pride what humanity is capable of, while at the same time often holding an opinion that Art is not considered “work”.
We do not fully recognise that the Arts should be supported for their human, social and cultural value alone, notwithstanding the enormous financial contribution culture makes to our economies.
There is often the question of beauty in Art, and, of course, we need beautiful things which please and comfort us. But Art often serves as an expression of the time in which it is created, which is not always beautiful. Art that speaks of its time, and which creates previously unknown forms, has difficulty being accepted.
A work of art must communicate all this, talk about all of this. We often hear that Art asks questions, but it must also provide answers. It must inspire us by its appearance, its nature, ideas and character. If one is an artist, one must have something to say, say something that has not already been said, in a form that has not already been invented.
Art has accompanied humankind since its appearance. What remains before even the first civilizations, are its art, its crafts, its caves decorated with paintings. The incredible beauty and skill of early jewellery show how creativity is fundamental to the human being. When societies did little but work and subsist, that work was accompanied by song.
Much has been done during these 400,000 years since the time of our ancestors. Since the Renaissance, artists have searched for new forms of expression, fundamentally realistic until the 19th century of Delacroix, Manet and the Impressionists, when Art changed its appearance, reflecting the modern era of the industrial revolution and the liberalising social life of cities.
We put aside the incredible inventions and expressions of the 20th century of Kandinsky, Mondrian and Rothko, who climbed to the summit of Art and human spirituality. Today, everyone thinks of painting their home in the colors they want, but, when Monet did it first, everyone said he was crazy.
Artists have often faced insults, misunderstanding and incredulity, just for the fact of being able to represent who we are, what we are, and what Art can be, at the actual moment.
We could accept, understand, and recognise more quickly the work of a new artist. And if we do not understand, just ask them. It took 40 years before Manet’s "Olympia" was accepted into the Louvre, but he would have hoped, and most likely would have known when he painted it, that that was its destiny.
If Art is not among the greatest achievements of all humanity, it may be better to say that it is not “Art” but a form of creativity and expression. A bigger lexicon is needed to be have better discussions about the nature of culture, but let us use the word ‘Art’ for what we consider to be the finest works of human artistic creation, to give appropriate recognition to those who have created works which have made such a profound and enduring contribution to the history of humankind.
The object of this talk is to give an overview of the basic questions in Art which remain so confusing for so many. I will try to describe more precisely the words "Art" and "artist". I do not think that these are my opinions, but rather observations that have been made over time but not well expressed. I'm talking about, and using the word, Art with a capital "A", to mean Art of historical importance.
One of the goals of this discourse is to free ourselves from our complexes around the idea of Art, which prevent us from expressing ourselves, creating, and doing for the mere pleasure, while recognising that there are distinctions between Art which we consider to be some of the finest examples of human creation, from Leonardo da Vinci to Cy Twombly, and art as a form of hobby or personal pleasure.
We have had trouble making such distinctions because they imply that art which does not have historical significance is of little value, which is not true. We need to liberate freedom of expression for everyone in whatever form, while understanding and recognising that the artists we consider to be part of Art’s history are there by virtue of having done something profoundly exceptional, original and influential.
Creating such definitions helps us towards a better understanding of how culture functions, how culture could be organised to help significant artistic practice, to devise ways for everybody to be able to access significant culture, and to enable the practice of creative activities for all.
Being an historically significant artist means doing something which becomes part of the rich and varied history of cultural forms which contribute to and substantially improve the quality of our lives by giving us meaning and pleasure. Reading about Art and the history of Art, I have not found a definition of Art that is not very ambiguous, so I propose the following :
Art is a manifestation of humankind’s creative and imaginative faculties which, like any creative discipline, is conditioned to a large degree by the sum of its history.
Artists are aware of what has happened in Art’s history. Art develops and evolves, and can change appearance and forms, but maintains values of depth, resonance and meaning in a creatively expressed desire for human betterment.
***
The consensus which creates Art history is not arbitrary or subjective, particular to any individual. What becomes recognised as historically significant Art is decided by a consensus of the most respected artists, critics, gallerists, curators and historians which recognises, through successive generations, those artists who have made work, and a contribution to the development of Art, which is significant and enduring.
Indeed, what is beautiful, looking at the history of any creative medium, is to recognise that there is a very large degree of consensus over those artists who deserve a place in history. Why did the Beatles’ music touch so many people? Why does the work of Vincent van Gogh resonate for decades and centuries? It is because cultural forms expresses universal feelings, common to, perhaps not all, but a very substantial number of people. There is something important and touching in these universalities, which says that we are all human beings - individuals of course - but connected to a common sense of understanding and humanity, and there is often a surprising degree of consensus as to what we find profound, moving, and beautiful.
Art and culture, being a reflection of common experiences, help us to understand ourselves, and to find meaning in a world that often overwhelms us. The world of culture is a world of feelings, thought, expression, creativity, reflection, imagination and understanding.
Looking more closely at artistic practices, we can observe three approximate categories:
- Art recognised over decades and centuries as of historical importance
- as a serious and often professional practice but not necessarily part of the canon of Art history
- art made simply for pleasure or personal expression
These approximate categories subdivide into further nuances and are merely intended to give some guides for debate.
The essential values of Art arguably lie in the first and third categories - Art of historical significance - which is rare, profound and original - and unpretentious creative, personal expression.
Such attempts at clarity and definitions for Art arouse strong emotions and are often unpopular. But we have, as a society, yet to give adequate recognition to the enormous benefits of Art and culture, which cover a vast array of different intentions and practices, in part due to our inability to make distinctions between historically significant Art and a hobby.
Depth, originality and authenticity are essential for serious culture to serve its central purpose of bringing profound meaning and pleasure to our lives. In order to value cultural works as the finest representations of the creative and imaginative capacities of the human condition.
***
When humanity needs to show what is most profound and inspiring about the human being it turns systematically to the Arts, to show with pride what humanity is capable of, while at the same time often holding an opinion that Art is not considered “work”.
We do not fully recognise that the Arts should be supported for their human, social and cultural value alone, notwithstanding the enormous financial contribution culture makes to our economies.
There is often the question of beauty in Art, and, of course, we need beautiful things which please and comfort us. But Art often serves as an expression of the time in which it is created, which is not always beautiful. Art that speaks of its time, and which creates previously unknown forms, has difficulty being accepted.
A work of art must communicate all this, talk about all of this. We often hear that Art asks questions, but it must also provide answers. It must inspire us by its appearance, its nature, ideas and character. If one is an artist, one must have something to say, say something that has not already been said, in a form that has not already been invented.
***
Art has accompanied humankind since its appearance. What remains before even the first civilizations, are its art, its crafts, its caves decorated with paintings. The incredible beauty and skill of early jewellery show how creativity is fundamental to the human being. When societies did little but work and subsist, that work was accompanied by song.
Much has been done during these 400,000 years since the time of our ancestors. Since the Renaissance, artists have searched for new forms of expression, fundamentally realistic until the 19th century of Delacroix, Manet and the Impressionists, when Art changed its appearance, reflecting the modern era of the industrial revolution and the liberalising social life of cities.
We put aside the incredible inventions and expressions of the 20th century of Kandinsky, Mondrian and Rothko, who climbed to the summit of Art and human spirituality. Today, everyone thinks of painting their home in the colors they want, but, when Monet did it first, everyone said he was crazy.
Artists have often faced insults, misunderstanding and incredulity, just for the fact of being able to represent who we are, what we are, and what Art can be, at the actual moment.
We could accept, understand, and recognise more quickly the work of a new artist. And if we do not understand, just ask them. It took 40 years before Manet’s "Olympia" was accepted into the Louvre, but he would have hoped, and most likely would have known when he painted it, that that was its destiny.
If Art is not among the greatest achievements of all humanity, it may be better to say that it is not “Art” but a form of creativity and expression. A bigger lexicon is needed to be have better discussions about the nature of culture, but let us use the word ‘Art’ for what we consider to be the finest works of human artistic creation, to give appropriate recognition to those who have created works which have made such a profound and enduring contribution to the history of humankind.