Paper #1

Maggie Pringle

If you asked me to define art ten years ago, I would have given you a simple answer. It probably would have been along the lines of, a painted picture or a crafted vase of clay. I have always loved the concept of art. I did ballet until I was in 7^th grade, dabbling in modern dance and jazz along the way. I would not have considered my dancing art then, but now I most definitely include dance in the realm of art. I also took painting and piano classes when I was younger. I would never have considered myself an artist back then though. I have opened my mind to new forms of art since then. I have broadened my horizons and have learned to appreciate different art forms, even if I don’t necessarily understand them. That being said; I consider art to be the execution of one’s creative ideas and thoughts.

Art can be a painting, and although a painting may be considered one of the simplest forms of art, the deconstruction of that painting can tell a story. For example, every aspect of the painting is vital to its meaning, from the colors, the medium, the method in which it was done, the time period it was painted, the time it took to complete the painting, must all be considered when deciphering the painting’s purpose. For example, in 1937 Pablo Picasso was commissioned by the Spanish Republican government to create a piece of art for the Spanish display at the World’s Fair in Paris., Picasso painted a mural titled, Guernica. When you first look at his mural, it seems like a muddled cluster of people and animals in blue, black and white. It does not have the beautiful aesthetic of say, Van Gogh’s starry night. But if you break down what Picasso was depicting, the painting takes on a whole new meaning. Picasso was depicting the bombing of the town of Guernica in 1937, when the Germans tested their bombs on the city for two hours. The blue, black and white colors convey the feeling of sadness and loss. The composition of the painting is chaotic, much like that day in Guernica. The figures in the painting include a Mother with a dead child in her arms, there are daggers and corpses strewn about the painting. All in all, the context of the painting itself gives it a deeper meaning and solidifies its place as a valued work of art. This was Picasso’s expression of his emotional reaction to the bombing of Guernica, his feelings painted into a mural.

Art is a universal language, it can be appreciated no matter where it originated from. For example, the Mona Lisa is one of the most well-known works of art across the globe. It does not matter where you are from, you know and can appreciate the Mona Lisa for its beauty. Also, operas are sung in a many different languages, however, even if the opera you are watching is sung in Italian and you speak English, you can still understand the emotion of the music and the singing. I am not one to say what is art and what isn’t art, I think it varies from person to person depending on their taste and preference. It all comes down to the context of the art and how it is interpreted. For example, there was a period of art called the “Dada” period. This was a time after the first world war and artists wanted to capture the chaos and destruction in their work. Their art portrayed anti-war attitudes and anti-establishment. The Dada period was a period of protest for the most part. Some would look at the art from the era and see nothing more than a collage of images that don’t make sense, in theory that is what the artists were going for. But was this movement in fact art, or nothing more than an act of rebellion whose purpose was to stir things up and get a rise out of people? That is not for me to decide.

If I considered something to be art and someone challenged me on that thought, I would attempt to understand why they thought this way. For example, I just recently learned about the form of art known as installations. I love these because it is like stepping into a work of art, you can immerse yourself and get inside the artist’s head. For example, one installation I like was done in Norway this past year. It was an interactive LED display wall called the Stromer constructed by Stig Skjelvik, Snohette architects and Rasmus Hildonen. It was a pedestrian walkway that would turn shadows into light. People would walk through and the lights would turn on leaving light trials behind them as they walked. I never actually saw it in person but it sparked my interest and looks beautiful. If someone did not consider this art, I would explain to them that I think it is art because it is an expression as well as a transformation of something ordinary into something extraordinary. Taking something simple and turning into something better is art in my book.

Art cannot be specifically defined. Art has no boundaries, no rules, no strict format it must fit into. I think that is why I love it so much. I think that if you put your heart and soul into your craft, with the intention of making something, the result can be art. As long as it means something to someone, it is art.