Question

What is Art?

An appreciation for a work of art is created by personal taste. Identify the qualities you personally attribute to a good work of art. Below make a list of criteria, qualities, and properties that do or do not define a work of art.  Art is ______ and  Art is not _____. Be sure to include your rationale behind the qualities you have listed.

Answer 1

• I don't think it's all subjective because I think Good Art is art that fulfils the artists goals and intentions and Bad Art is art that does not. Good art achieves it's creators purpose, Bad Art does not.
• True artists set out with a definite purpose in mind. They don't just start creating art without a destination, their art is a product of a vision and idea. To my mind if the art fulfils their intentions then it's a success and can be considered good art. If it doesn't then it's failed and it's bad art.
• It's easy to spot this on the most basic level in fine art if its goal is simple representation. If someone sets out to paint a portrait of The Queen and nobody can tell who it is when the painting is complete  then it's failed in it's intention. It's bad art. If your sculpture of a moose looks nothing at all like a moose then your art is bad.
• It's harder to quantify in more abstract art when the artist is trying to evoke a feeling or convey an idea rather than simply depict something with any degree of accuracy. In order to say whether modern art is bad or good we enter into the murky world of attempting to understand what the artist intends us to actually feel and whether it evokes that feeling in all, some or none of the viewers who see it.
• In movie making (which is definitely an art form) it's easy to determine what is bad art and what isn't because film makers intentions are often clear and apparent. Jaws is good art because it accomplishes Spielberg's vision. He wants to show what effect a shark attack has on a small group of people.
• He wants to examine how a maneating monster threatening a community brings out the best and worst in three men and the way they interact. He also wants to keep the audience on the edge of their seat and occasionally leaping out of it in fear. He accomplishes this well which makes Jaws a good piece of art in my mind.
• Beauty is, and always will be, in the “eye of the beholder.” Your decision about the beauty or lack of beauty in a particular work of art is instinctive and natural. In fact, you probably won’t even have to make that decision, you’ll just either be captivated by a piece of art or you won’t.
• Some aspects of art that are generally appealing to people are:
• 1. Repeating shapes, patterns, and symmetry.
• 2. Colors, especially colors that complement or enhance each other.
• 3. Textures, both visual and physical (like thick, impasto paint).
• 4. Crops and compositions that focus the eye and keep the viewers’ attention.
• 5. Movement or flow to guide viewers through the art.
• 6. Correct or appealing proportions of figures and objects.
• 7. Presentation and framing.
• Technical skill is the most comparable and measurable aspect of art. As you look at a painting (or any other work of art) you probably will be able to determine how skillfully it was created simply by comparison with other works.
• Art is powerful, not just for its beauty or the talent needed for its creation, but because it can cause emotion, make political statements, or challenge preconceived ideas. Of course not all works of art are intended to be so thought-provoking. A still life of oranges and apples, for example, usually won’t have a deeper meaning.
  
• Good Art that tells a story, or evokes a specific emotion – This is art that begins to affect you. It might cause you to understand, empathize or feel what’s being depicted.
• Good Art that makes a statement – Here the artist clearly speaks through the work, actively promoting a cause or perhaps bringing attention to an issue that’s important to him or her.
• Good Art that is an allegory or metaphor – This is art that contains more than one meaning, and possibly several. It use symbolic imagery or deal with more intangible human issues, and yet the artwork should still work as a visually appealing creation.
• Good art either explores new subjects, or old subjects in a way that hasn’t been done before.
• Good art should appeal to you. It will be skillfully made, most likely by an artist who has created other works in a similar fashion.
• The best art has meaning beyond just an image; perhaps it will bring you to tears, make you laugh, or remind you of something you’d almost forgotten. It also stands out in a crowd, and dares to be different.
• Most importantly in my opinion good art is understandable, although it may make you think in ways you never expected to.
• Art isn't Art when it becomes a functional object.It does, in general, need to have some thought behind it. How well an artist can defend their thought process is just as important at the artistic process.
• So an artist is someone who reveals a unique perspective on a subject. This means a real artist must have both a subject and a unique view on it to make a piece of art. Without either of these two things he cannot make art.
• When art cannot strike a cord with you,develop some connection and open up perspectives,it is not art.