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What is art?

white

~dangerous curves ahead~
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"The difference between construction and creation is this, a thing constructed can only be loved after it exists. A thing created is loved before it exists"

Nice post, Edahn.

Art springs from passion, brought to life (as CC has it earlier), to me. The birthing of it is always painful, but there is that grace that transcends time.

I know if it was art, if it colours me in some way, and if years down, the memory of it stays with me. Could be pictures, sculptures, music, dance.

Could be a person with a wonderful way of walking through life too.
 

nightning

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This puts me in mind of the Bower Bird, that carefully constructs and decorates a nest to attract a mate. This bird brain is somehow driven to this creative endeavor that will be judged by a variety of females. Now this activity is certainly driven by survival...and the winning male is chosen by his ability to attract a mate through random or deliberate arrangement of elements within space. Is this art?

Thought stimulating... :thumbup:

Does art has to have a purpose? It seems to me that it does. Its purpose is to instill thoughts and feelings into something tangible. You can argue that the male bower bird is expressing his intent by constructing that elaborate but useless bower. If that's so... then I was wrong... something random cannot be art. But adding little modifying touches to something random would be. *scratches head*
 

Seanan

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Thought stimulating... :thumbup:

Does art has to have a purpose? It seems to me that it does. Its purpose is to instill thoughts and feelings into something tangible. You can argue that the male bower bird is expressing his intent by constructing that elaborate but useless bower. If that's so... then I was wrong... something random cannot be art. But adding little modifying touches to something random would be. *scratches head*

I am, perhaps, being too picky but it stems from a conversation with someone on another thread:

The canvas is "tangible"... an image is not.
 

nightning

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I am, perhaps, being too picky but it stems from a conversation with someone on another thread:

The canvas is "tangible"... an image is not.

My apologizes for just flinging words down.

I meant to say we create art in order to capture the thoughts and feelings and to put it down on something. To be put onto record. Kind of :doh:
 

Snowey1210

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I tried to answer this question in my head one time, and the only word that seemed to fit well was "intriguing". That is how I would descibe Art, as something that is intriguing enough to become meaningful to just one or a collective number of people. This meaning can be negative as in violent artwork, or punk rock etc. but so long as it is intriguing enough to elicit some form of meaningful response from it's audience, it can be considered "Art".

To me that is the overall purpose of "Art".
 

The_Liquid_Laser

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That would work except I'm not thinking of communicating to a potential viewer when I conceive what I paint. I'm "receiving" from a "place" and "recording" it on canvas. When I see what "arrived," it does communicate something to me though. This is, of course, unless I'm doing a connsignment piece with particular requirements.

Well I think that it's clear from this thread that there is no one definition of art that will encompass everyone's viewpoints on it. However in my viewpoint something does not become art until another person observes the work.

Perhaps I could add a phrase to my definition to make it even more inclusive though:

Art is the attempt of one party to stimulate thoughts or feelings another party by means other than direct, interpersonal, one-on-one communication, or the attempt to stimulate thoughts and feelings in oneself by means other than solely daydreaming or reflecting.
 

Seanan

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Well I think that it's clear from this thread that there is no one definition of art that will encompass everyone's viewpoints on it. However in my viewpoint something does not become art until another person observes the work.

A good friend and mentor when I was beginning said: "To be an artist, you must live to paint (that's what we do... paint that is) If its not all-consuming you will never create "art." You must also fill 1,000 canvases." My clients call me an artist. I have met the requirements. At least a forth of those filled canvases have never been seen by anyone. They're in storage but I would venture to say, they're still "art" because an "artist" painted them.

Years later, talking with a colleague, I brought up that conversation and he said.. reminiscing.. "Yes, I, too, had to learn it was the singular way I could truly communicate." and I shared that the thought of not painting felt like I imagined receiving a death sentence would. He agreed.

This subject is disussed ad finitum in the art world but seldom among artists because they know that "art" is whatever an artist does. Its origins lie in their hands.... thus its definition. One who lives to do it defines it. The viewer... those who discuss it... are "appreciators" or "critics" but they don't define it. When they "appreciate" it, they tend to call it art. When they don't, they seldom refer to it at all unless calling it "garbage" or some such. So the debate will go on and on among them. They'll never find the definition unless they know who/what an artist is. They may, however, consider the art well or poorly executed but never determine if it is or not when created by one for whom it as necessary as breathing. I heard an author who seldom grants interviews describe what he does that way also. He said he hated, despised even, writing but had to do it.... that not doing so would be a kind of death.

Okay, that's all... I really don't think I belong in this conversation.:yes:
 

mippus

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Side question: can real gastronomic cooking be seen as art?
 

ThatsWhatHeSaid

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Side question: can real gastronomic cooking be seen as art?

Absolutely.

I think anything can be seen as art if your mind is an the right place.

Some activities, though, are expecially conducive to getting your mind in that zone. Things that demand attention, that provide feedback, and that are interesting help focus your mind. It's a lot like flow. In flow theory, activities that have some of these qualities help focus the mind:

1. Clear goals (expectations and rules are discernible and goals are attainable and align appropriately with one's skill set and abilities).
2. Concentrating and focusing, a high degree of concentration on a limited field of attention (a person engaged in the activity will have the opportunity to focus and to delve deeply into it).
3. A loss of the feeling of self-consciousness, the merging of action and awareness.
4. Distorted sense of time, one's subjective experience of time is altered.
5. Direct and immediate feedback (successes and failures in the course of the activity are apparent, so that behavior can be adjusted as needed).
6. Balance between ability level and challenge (the activity is neither too easy nor too difficult).
7. A sense of personal control over the situation or activity.
8. The activity is intrinsically rewarding, so there is an effortlessness of action.
9. People become absorbed in their activity, and focus of awareness is narrowed down to the activity itself, action awareness merging (Cs
 

ThatsWhatHeSaid

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NEW QUESTION

Based on comments received:

What is grace?

A state of mind, or an action?
 

ThatsWhatHeSaid

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Action without thought? In other words, pure action?

I have some Zen stories to share that would support that interpretation. (So say yes, ...or else!!!)
 

white

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Grace... dancing on with a smile though your feet, back, arms are in pain after days and hours of practice and the heart is aching badly...

Sunlight on a quiet street corner.

Waves lipping the shore in the blue hour before sunset.

A state of being.

Forgiveness.
 

Eldanen

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Grace is a state of mind that results in certain kinds of action. I imagine these states of mind as moods, atmospheres, winds, qualities of water surrounding a person.
 

Hirsch63

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For me, Grace is a period of time when we are freed from burdens and expectations...a window (opened by who or what, I do not know) through which we are able to achieve states of mental clarity or physical ability that for us are transcendent...Grace is a temporary reprieve from our normal experience of life? very much like the description of "flow" that you offered. I imagine some philosophies are dedicated to a pursuit of this as a constant state of being.
 

Snowey1210

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Grace is a state of mind that results in certain kinds of action. I imagine these states of mind as moods, atmospheres, winds, qualities of water surrounding a person.

I'd argue that grace can be inaction too, standing merely reflecting upon the notion of reality can be graceful in itself. There is no need for us active whilst listening to a piece of music, in fact many of the times when we switch off to it, it becomes more poignient. My identification of grace consists more of how we "choose" to look at the world, if you want something to become insignificant it will be so, and so forth. Driving to work is graceful for me, because I choose to give it that label.

(God, I think I've had one too many happy pills tonight :))
 

Journey

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I read this thread today. I'm late, but I haven't been here long. :hi:

To me the answer to the question "What is art?" is that it is a form of communication between the artist and the consumer. "What is grace?" gets a similar off the top answer of divine gift or favor, which I think certainly comes into play in the creation of an artist. Grace is also an action, which is ease of motion and suppleness of movement. Any other meaning of the word grace I could wax poetic about, given my imagination, but I wouldn't be being intellectually honest.

It seems to me the the main question being asked here is "What is the state of mind of the artist when creating art?" I can only answer for myself that it requires a certain seriousness about what I am planning/doing. I need a certain solitude or feeling of oneness with who I am with to be able to concentrate, focus on my project. I have to set an alarm clock if I am alone so that I can quit in time to start supper or whatever. Sometimes I feel the calmness that has been described, but sometimes there is effort involved, it doesn't always just flow along by itself by any means. I'm very aware of the fact at all times that I am communicating--but strangely enough some elements of that just come into the canvas without me orchestrating them--I guess it's that crazy Ni. That's as close as I can come to describing it.:huh:
 
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