September 3, 2007

What is art?

Art is any form of creative expression that evokes an emotional response in either the viewer, the artist or both, whether being sculpture, painting, literature, photography or another medium of the like.

The Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania captures Warhol’s finest art pieces, affirming his position in the modern art world, whether being forty years ago or today. After taking and art history class in high school, the Warhol Museum ranked high on my itinerary of sites to visit while in Pittsburgh last spring. Each of Warhol’s pieces hung with prestige, yet one of his famous series of screen prints “Shoes” magnetically drew me into the piece. The print’s black base melted into the distance, as the diamond dust hypnotically removed my conscious mind from the very place I stood. Unknowingly, I spent approximately five minutes merely standing in what felt like the twilight zone. Mesmerized by the glitter particles, which seemed to jump of the print and surround my entire body, I unconsciously planted my feet, refusing to look away, afraid that this magical effect would disappear. Perhaps what most intrigued me was that I felt part of this painting. Even Baroque art, which characteristically engages and participates with the viewer, never affected me as did this Warhol piece. Simply standing in front of this screen print, the entire world evaporated, leaving only me and the artwork in a seemingly endless tunnel of nothing. While unsure of Warhol’s original intention for this print, it appeared very commercial, maybe an advertisement for a company. However, based on my previous knowledge of Warhol, I believe his work provides the audience with a different viewing lens, which in turn forces the viewer to respond to average images in different way. Such tactics range from alternating color palettes to repetition of the same, humdrum object. Thus, Warhol was successful in his attempt for the audience to look at a mundane object, such as shoes, and experience an entirely new emotion.


Discuss de Duve’s essay in relation to my definition.

De Duve’s central argument in “Art was a Proper Name” concludes that art essentially has no definition. Instead, the idea of art snowballs into several other definitions based upon one’s own feelings about the particular subject. De Duve proclaims that every piece of art builds upon a foundation, changing and evolving the definition of art into something new. As art renews itself, one struggles even more to set certain boundaries. De Duve uses Marcel Duchamp’s The Fountain to prove that art is ultimately what one deems art to be; what essentially matters is what art means to the viewer. He questions the undeserved disparity between Duchamp’s urinal the famous marble Aphrodite. De Duve also affirms that art must evoke an emotion already present within the viewer. One’s identity drives one’s personal understanding of art as a whole. However, while he believes that everyone loves art to some extent, “No one falls in love with Art in general” (31). Thus, this subjective view as to what qualifies as art allows everyone to be somewhat correct in his own definition.