What is Art?

I figured, since I wasn't terribly inspired this past week (what with being busy visiting my son in Oklahoma), I would look up the definition of art on the web. Wikipedia says this in the first paragraph:

"Art refers to a diverse range of human activities, creations, and expressions that are appealing to the senses or emotions of a human individual. The word "art" may be used to cover all or any of the arts, including music, literature and other forms. It is most often used to refer specifically to the visual arts, including media such as painting, sculpture, and printmaking. However it can also be applied to forms of art that stimulate the other senses, such as music, an auditory art. Aesthetics is the branch of philosophy which considers art."

Okay...I guess that's about as general as you can get. However, I thought this seemed a deeper look into the mediums:

"Visual art is defined as the arrangement of colors, forms, or other elements "in a manner that affects the sense of beauty, specifically the production of the beautiful in a graphic or plastic medium". The nature of art has been described by Wollheim as "one of the most elusive of the traditional problems of human culture"."

I would never have considered it a problem, I have always thought of it as a gift. However, I suppose if someone were trying to define or contain the expressions of 'art', that's where you would run into trouble. I think creativity, or art, has always had it's way, even while being suppressed by a government. It simply must come forth -- it is a way our spirits thrive and grow and express themselves in mortal form.

Whenever such things are debated among the 'intellectuals', I'm sure they are going only by what such viewings make them feel. After all, art is all in how something makes us feel -- we like it or we hate it, we could leave it alone, or we must have it; as some of the worlds renown collectors have done.

Many would say the painting above by Mary Cassatt is art in it's true form. Others would argue it was too controlled, too formal, whereas abstractism would be art in a truer form.



I remember when watching the Olympics Opening Ceremonies, and they had a scene where people were using themselves as paint brushes to create a work of art. The announcer informed us that the Chinese feel all art comes from within, that no piece would be the same because no one is the same inside.

I thought, wow. If we all felt that way, our schools would be a little different. The way art is taught in school is all about copying. You must copy what you see -- try to make your effort the same as what is before you. Many times, it's what the instructor has done, or is requiring you to do. In drawing where you must draw a human figure, that is -- of course -- going to be the same because it's the human body. But if someone wanted to but an abstract view to it, their grade might vary from someone else who drew it true to form.

In many ways I felt this expression opened doors in my mind -- freed me from the constraints of society, or what I felt was being put on me by my own view of what art should be. (I think I'm a little twisted, but that's for another time...grin)

Be that as it may -- I still feel chained to what I see in my head as reality when I sit down in front of a canvas. It's as if I just can't break free and end up painting the same thing I always do. I can't seem to draw or paint from my imagination. I have to see the reality before I can transmit it.



Artists who are able to draw what is in their heads and have it come out like they want on paper are amazing to me. I know part of it is training and practice, but I think a great deal of it is inherent talent.

That's what art is to me. What is art to you?

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Another View on Coding...

This was a strange article that I came across reading another blog the other day. It made a point that I thought was totally amazing -- an eye opening thought so to speak. "Quantity always trumps quality."

I don't agree with that mentality, of course, as a painter it doesn't work with my abilities. But, I think it touches anything we deal with in life.

As a writer, the more we write, generally the more we improve. As an artist, the more I paint and experiment with different things, the better my skills get. As parents, the more we try and listen and work with our children, the better we become. It seems to be a principle of fact, doesn't it?

However, when you think of it in terms of spirituality, I think it could be twisted...much like the route Mr. Dutcher has gone...(only read if you want to be disgusted for the day...otherwise, don't go there) With spiritual things, the more you question and doubt and "seek wisdom" from dark sources, the farther away you go from truth and light.

It reminds me of a video we got a long time ago from Living Scriptures about the Tree of Life. They showed two men who were supposedly learned, and they were in search of more knowledge. The one wanted to follow Nephi, and the other said that truth could only be learned in unknown corners...they ended up in darkness, lost and unable to find their way back.

That sounds to me where Mr. Dutcher is heading. The medium he chose for his art was a difficult one, I think. Motion pictures has long been the tool of Satan to lure the good hearted and well meaning. Thank heavens we have people here in Utah that do well, and don't seem to be worried if their movies make it world wide or make millions of dollars.

But onto a more positive note.



We went to the farmers market in our home town yesterday, and toured the 'Utah house' as it's called. Apparently it is totally 'green', in that it's made to run on low energy, has solar panels and the toilet water is from a cistern. The garage is made partially from bale hay construction and foam/cement block. It was cooler than the house, but I wasn't sure if it had air conditioning on or not.

Anyway, inside the house was this large...painting? I'm not sure it could be classified as that, because it seemed to be a mix of mediums. I looked at it and shook my head, wondering why anyone would attempt such a thing. It was across between abstract art and natural texturing. Go figure. Abstract art just seems to be a child's work. Anyone (it would seem to me) can splash color on a canvas and claim it's the window to their soul.

This piece was something I'm sure anyone who's gone to a professionally decorated home or office would have seen before -- it's that kind of obscure and abstract all in one. Using color and texture to create something only a decorator would think of. Imagine looking at that kind of stuff on your own!

"May we help you?"

"Yes, I just spotted that large abstract over there..."

"Oh, that magnificent example of (whoever did it's)work? That's an ambitious size at 4'x2'. Do you have a place in mind?"

"Yeah, my sister needs something to cover the hole in her kids bedroom where they kicked through the wall, and that looks about the right size. How much do they run?"

About now the person, (totally offended)would tell me with a "sniff" that such piece's of art wouldn't be appropriate in a child's room. Besides, repairing the wall would be much cheaper than this work of art. I'm sure it ran a couple of hundred dollars.

That's where I guess my artistic endeavors clash with my practial side. I can just see when I start selling paintings and charge the cost of the frame and canvas. My hubby reminded me when I was contemplating a booth in a neighborhood boutique that I needed to charge for the time I spent too, not just the materials. Well, how in the heck do you figure that out? And this is something I like to do, I'm not in it to make money (obviously). So...I guess we'll see how that goes.

Just for the record though...remember I'm not the person you want to take shopping when looking for decorations for your house. Anything not slanted to my taste would probably be subjected to a critical/sarcastic tongue...grin.

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Art and Beauty With Spiritual Eyes

I was gazing out at my back yard which is decked out in green to celebrate the onset of summer, when it occurred to me -- A lot of what we view as art is sometimes a spiritual thing.

We've all heard the phrase that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but I think it goes even deeper than that. How many times have you been listening to a classical, instrumental or vocal piece of music and been moved to tears?

It's not a visual thing. It's not something that has to be held in your hands. It's in the spirit.

It always amazes me when a person who is known for having terrible morals can come up with a beautiful piece of art, be it music, painting, or otherwise. It makes me wonder how the spirit gets through the garbage to give them the inspiration for what they do. I find myself having to fight from being judgmental and accept the beauty they are able to create.

There were and are many troubled painters in our world. Some of them were considered masters -- of course after they took their own life. Van Gogh's work is hailed as the pioneer of expressionism. I find only a few of his paintings likable -- Starry Night, and Couples in the Park. I find it sad that so many of these tortured souls found no success in their lifetimes.

George-Pierre Seurat and Paul Signac introduced a whole new style, pointilist. I find this style fascinating, and tedious at the same time. I had a friend in high school that did a full upper body portrait of Bruce Lee in this style -- pen and ink. It took him almost the whole school year.

Perhaps that is part of what we have to ponder as we gaze at the pieces of art they create for us. Sometimes these canvases have more than brush strokes -- sometimes they hold blood and tears, sweat and pain, frustration and illusion.

Being an artist myself, I know that at times I can act spoiled. Fortunately, I have a wonderful husband who takes it in stride and reminds me of what is important in life. My art is only part of me -- and usually only a seasonal thing. It takes a lot for me to paint or draw -- it takes all my concentration. If there was only the worldly view of things, I guess I could easily have become someone who was paranoid and afraid of the dark.

But we have the gospel. We have balance, and I don't live for painting alone. I live with the idea that eternity waits, and so does my talent. I am gifted with a family that loves me, supports me and makes it somewhat easy to balance my talents with every day life. I thank The Lord daily for them.



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