What ways of knowing are used to define what is "art"?Or even more broad:
What is "art"?I ask this because I have encountered many examples of "controversial" art throughout my years of reading. For example, take the works of Robert Mapplethorpe. He became infamous in the 1980's for a series of, well, "sensual" photographs. (I won't describe them in detail here, you'll have to take my word for it) Supposedly he made these works with a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), a government program. Due to this, the NEA came under fire by (mostly) conservative politicians, claiming Mapplethorpe's works to be in bad taste.
Defining what constitutes "art" by a Senate subcommittee seems absurd in itself. I think it is a combination of sensory perception and emotion that defines art. However, everyone has different emotional reactions to something. As the cliche goes, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
Other artists that challenge the definitions of "art":
- Marcel Duchamp: French Dadaist who presented everyday objects, unmodified, as art (eg: shovels, toilets)
- Andres Serrano: Photographer in the same era as Mapplethorpe; was also criticized for his works that defaced religious symbols
- Lou Reed: Musician; most works are normal, fairly accessible songs (if rather off the mainstream), but 1975 album "Metal Machine Music" was simply hours of grating, screeching feedback
- Andy Warhol: Famous "pop" artist, also delved into experimental films, including a 24-hour long film called **** (yes that is the title, not a censorship)
- E.L. James: Author of recent "Fifty Shades" trilogy. Need I say more?
- Trent Reznor: Musician, similar to Reed in that he utilized harsh, grating noise in his soundscapes, but also transposes lyrics of self-torture and violence into his music.
This list is just a sample and is by no means definitive. Some of these people have been critically lauded yet simultaneously generate controversy. I know of many other musicians specifically that have generated controversy, as music trivia is my forte, but if anyone else can find or knows of any controversial artists feel free to tell me.
The main question, though: what, to you, defines "art"? And is there a way of knowing what art is?
PS: I thought of this topic while remembering another musician that may challenge the definition of "art":
- My Bloody Valentine: Musical group, often cited as the leaders of the "shoegazer" movement in the late 1980's-early 1990's. Utilized layered, effects-woven guitar noises combined with indistinguishable, ethereal vocals-as-instruments to create a wall-of-noise feel; their 1991 magnum opus "Loveless" cost over £250,000 to record, nearly bankrupting their record label. Exemplary track: "Only Shallow", the most intense/strange song you may ever hear.
Never laugh at a hipster; they could teach you something new. (not saying I am one but still)
Art to me is imagination come alive. No i do not count the absurd one line of paint or blue square "Art". No one imagines that, they can clearly see it on a daily basis. Art is rather unique (often times thought of with drawing, painting, sculpting etc) but I think it is often forgot that books, music, amd poems are considered art. Justifiably, my forte is math, and when you have solved a problem that was rather long and complicated, the finished product is art. It is rather beautiful, and I will contradict my own definition because it definately did not come from my imagination, but the fact that time was spent on it, your own heart and soul poured into the end result, that's what makes it beautiful and i think that's what makes it art. Here I refine my definition.
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