What Is Art?

Nudity and Naked, Where is the Art? My Disclaimer: This article contains images of the human form that some consider graphic and may be inappropriate viewing for a workplace setting. If a piece of art is displayed that contain nudity, then what is that thin line between the types of arts where nudity is allowed, and the one where it is censored. To answer this question, we need to understand the difference between art and pornography. The differences Nudity, or nakedness, is the state of wearing no clothing. Sexually explicit and suggestive content are intended to sexually arouse. Films contain nudity in a sexual context is common in pornographic films. On the other hand, art with predominant display of nudity such as the Sistine chapel…

Evaluate the claim that what constitutes ‘art’ is highly dependant on social and cultural context. In a world where one can roll out of bed leaving a disarray of sheets and strewn tissues and call it art (Emin 1998), we could be forgiven for believing that the former famous greats of the art world such as Van Gogh and Da Vinci might well be turning in their graves at the preposterous levels at which art can be declared within our contemporary society. This begs the debate of what is it that we…

French scholar and art critic Souren Melikian criticizes the concept of an all-encompassing notion of Islamic art, stating that a European equivalent wouldn’t exist in both the museum and academia (Melikian, 2004). Indeed it would be frowned upon to be a specialist in “Western art” ranging from Greek antiquity to Futurism, yet this case for an “Islamic art” specialist. It is perfectly acceptable to demand from a scholar in “Islamic art” to know about early Islamic Abbasid architecture, and late…

What is art and why is this question important? The question seems more suited to the topic of philosophy than of art, yet that does not mean philosophy has any easy answer to this seemingly simple question. Rather, one of the consequences of studying philosophy is in the realization that the simplest questions are often the most difficult to answer. Philosophy may offer a foundation for our most treasured beliefs but it also shows us how little we actually know. The Delphic oracle declared…

answer truthfully. What is art? If you were to ask a group of one thousand people that very question, the chances are that the majority of them would answer it by saying something along the lines of “It is and expression of yourself and how you feel” and “Painting, drawing, sculpting, and photographs.” I refuse to be restricted to these two categories, only to answer the same way all others have. That may make me seem stuck up in some way, however, I feel that I have a fairly unique…

The arts can also serve as a way for people to become more connected with other individuals and with themselves. Arabs and Jews, two groups with a historic conflict, were able to come together and learn from each other from musical involvement. In Israel, the Polyphony Foundation began as a small school in Nazareth in 2007 intending to spread musical education in their community; this foundation currently focuses on creating positivity between Arab and Jewish people through shared experiences.…

Artist Edgar Degas defined art as being: “Art is not what you see, but what you make others see” (Le French 1). In other words, any artist can create something and call it a “piece of art,” but it does not represent any significance if no one can become inspired by it or see the purpose behind it. However, what then would be considered “art” and how would you describe it? A common answer to people is that there is no one particular meaning or that the imagination is endless. Though, true, I…

innate ability to imagine and create that what lies beyond just a primal, basic understanding of the world around them. It is this nature that overflows with ingenuity and vision that begs to be conveyed through something that has existed since the dawn of humanity. Artistic expression is an undeniable epicenter of the human identity. The arts are such a rooted part of the human identity that every society, culture, civilization, and group emulates some form of it, from pottery in Ancient Egypt…

The rural community-based might have a lower impact on a bigger scale but they deeply influence people that experience it. In this terms a for-profit or nonprofit art community, in its wider meaning, has the power to create relationships between social issues at local level and production (in form of art or non monetary values). Engaging communities within this parameters allow people benefit of a regeneration of the space (a thoughtful design or architectures) and benefit of the exchange of…

William Yager Is it Art or is it not? An Argument for a Better Understanding As an animation major and having previously been a fine arts major I have had a good deal of experience in art, both traditional and contemporary. In my studies I have found that the subject of contemporary art amongst those who are unfamiliar with it is often met with confusion or disdain. Typically people do not understand what they are viewing or they do not seek understanding deeper than their initial notion. More…