What is Art?
One of my favorite places to be (especially when I want to be alone) is the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It is a place where I can unwind, challenge my brain, and be a part of a hundred different cultures from all around the world. Sometimes when I’m with someone they will often point out an abstract piece of work and say, “That’s not Art!” Often times, I find it to be rather infuriating. Can’t a person just accept what’s there without critiquing everything? Many people seem to think that if a) it can’t be identified b) they can reproduce it and c) it’s offensive, than it’s not art.
Art does not necessarily have to be identifiable nor does it have to be understandable to the viewer. The viewer is not the artist’s main priority. Art is selfish. It is and always has been a selfish expression. What an artist creates has nothing to do with the viewer. The artist represents who they are, what they feel, what they think, and what they believe in, through their creations. It is a need to represent what is in the artist’s heart and mind. Everyone represents themselves in similar ways, through writing in journals, through conversation, or even through websites.
Damien Hirst is most known for his displays of sliced up animals in formaldehyde. Much of his art is focused on macabre and death, some with long titles that are often confusing to the onlooker. But interpreting what Hirst was thinking when he created the artwork is not what he cares about. All he wants is for his viewer to think or enjoy what they see.
One of the common statements people say to me is “I can do that! How the hell can that be art? It should take skill to be an artist!” The term art encompasses everything. If a person claims something is art, than it’s art, regardless of whether or not you can reproduce it.
I feel to define the term art as a noun, is a mistake. It is not a person, place or thing, but rather an action that is a part of being human just like speaking or writing. Nor is it a concrete term but an abstract one. It is not necessarily observable, measurable, or quantifiable. It is conceptual.
Finally, what is offensive to you is not necessarily offensive to someone else. People are so heavily grounded in their opinions that it becomes REAL and FACTUAL to them. There is no swaying a person like that. Art is a public opinion made by the artist. The great thing about public opinions is that you can choose not to look or read it if you think it would offend you. The second great thing about artists is that they have the courage to openly express themselves. Many of us have strange or morbid thoughts but very few of us attempt to display it because we fear social repercussions from it.
Chris Ofili made headlines several years ago when his depiction of Lady Madonna covered in elephant dung was displayed at the Brooklyn Museum. Many Catholics, including Mayor Guiliani at the time, were deeply offended by the piece claiming it was against Catholicism and even racist. If Guiliani and the others, who were offended, took the time to actually see the work and understand it, they would have realized that the piece was actually in reverence to the Lady Madonna. Apparently, from where Ofili is from, elephant dung represents nourishment. Funny enough, during this time that this was such a big deal, hardly any news coverage actually EXPLAINED why there was elephant dung on the painting. Despite Mayor Guiliani’s strength and compassion during the WTC bombing, he, like any other person, can sometimes be really stupid. I wonder how it is that the figure of Christ gruesomely hanging from the cross can be acceptable but not something like Ofili’s art?
To deny what someone express as art is to deny the artist the freedom to think, feel, and express. Whether you like it or not does not mean it’s not art and does not mean it should not be displayed.