Tolstoy commented that "All human life is filled with works of art of every kind - from cradlesong, jest, mimicry, the ornamentation of houses, dress, and utensils, up to church services, buildings, monuments, and triumphal processions. It is all artistic activity." - and observed that we select only just a few art forms (the poetry, concerts, plays and paintings) for special attention. My Art Historian collegue Shelley Esaak, in her article What is Art?, suggests that it can help us understand the importance of art if we imagine our favorite video game without graphics. Now there's something I don't fancy at all, I'm old enough to remember those text-based games we played in the 80s. But do check out her article, as she explains what art is about far better than I ever could.
Artists who have a social concience - which is most of us - sometimes worry that their work does not contribute to society. It doesn't cure sickness or house the homeless. But I've yet to meet a doctor or engineer whose life wasn't enriched by the arts. People are not robots. We need music to soothe tired nerves, a picture to inspire us, a book to carry us away into another world. Art can help other people to live well and work more effectively. Some art is purely decorative, and allows us to live in a more beautiful space. Mac products, for example, are popular in part because their design is so good, it's an art form. It makes us happy to use them. Fashion is where function and wearable art form collide, and who doesn't love a great pair of shoes? Sometimes a work of art can be entertaining. When you're watching a movie or playing a game, you can leave your worries behind, transported for a moment into the life of a spy in Renaissance Florence.
Sometimes art communicates an idea or feeling, and this can be really important. When you hear a song that expresses the way you feel, it makes you feel less alone. You're sharing that experience with the singer. Sometimes paintings allow you to see the world from the point of view of another person. A great painting or sculpture can help you to understand your own emotions, because you recognize something of yourself in the work. This type of art can also be the most problematic. Sometimes expressive art forms can seem rough or ugly, and people often question whether it is art at all. In those cases, it's important to consider what the artist was trying to express, and whether an audience can gain something from the work.
What Isn't Art
There's a lot of rubbish art out there, and it can be tricky to pick at times. Sometimes what people think is rubbish isn't - it might be expressing an idea in a really rough and violent way, not using much in the way of obvious craft skills. Sometimes though, expressive art can be an outpouring of emotion or thought with no real form or intent. This is not art, just as my diary is not literature.Sometimes what people think is great art isn't - it's just something copied using a great deal of craft skill, but without any thought or meaning. Craftsmanship is an important part of art and design, but just as the cake is more than just the sum of its parts, so a work of art is more than just carefully arranged pencil marks, paint or clay. The front page of your daily newspaper might be well written, but it is not a work of literature.
A reader I discussed this issue with recently suggested that the title of 'art' should be earned, rather than just assumed. I think that's a pretty good idea. Of course, we all have different ideas about what constitutes good art; eventually history seems to decide, with some artists consigned to the attic while others sell for millions. They also suggested that art should be about something universal, like love, rather than some personal thing like 'how the color orange makes them feel'. There's some merit in that, but what is universal? I'm reminded of the book 'An Evil Cradling' by Brian Keenan, about his experience of being a hostage in Beirut. He was held in a dusty, colorless cell for months on end. When, one day, he was given an orange, he couldn't eat it. He could only look at it, so precious was the sight of that color. The guards were incredibly angry, they couldn't understand. I haven't read the book for years, but I still think of that small, transcendent moment, whenever I pick up a beautiful orange and enjoy its color.
For me, art is how I express my feelings and thoughts about the world. Sometimes I can't find the right artistic 'words' - but the experience of being human is common to all of us, and sometimes I see art by other people that says what I can't say. And that recognition of shared humanity is really important. It tells me I'm not alone. Sometimes it just helps me understand what I'm feeling about something. Sometimes art allows me a glimpse into someone else's life, real or imaginary.
Of course, the challenge for the artist in all of this is that one's art should be worth sharing. To make art that is at once personal and universal, which captures a shared emotion, expresses a human sorrow or inspires joy. And that's something that ultimately, you have to figure out for yourself.
...add your comments to the related blog entry on why make art?
