Week 8: What is Art?

In the last lecture we had a discussion about what makes an art game and the question of 'What is art?' was asked. When I first thought about the question the first thing that came into my head was that if art was a form of self expression then anything can be art.

I've thought about it a little more since then, and I don't think anything can be art. I believe I've come to my own conclusion on what I personally believe art is, but I don't expect others to agree. Art is a form of self expression, but in my opinion it has to have meaning and is only art once someone other than the artist has experienced it; by hearing, reading, seeing or playing it.

The reason I say that it is not art until someone has experienced it is because if no one else has experienced it, it has no significance to anyone except the artist. It would make the piece of work more like a form of a diary or private journal. If a poet were to write a poem and no one ever reads it or hears it, how can anyone say it's art? How can anyone even say the poem exists?

Even then, after someone has experienced the work, it has to mean something to the person who experienced it. The person experiencing it must understand the artist's message. Recently I saw a modern art sculpture; it was a large piece of metal that was twisted in the center and folded slightly. This meant nothing to me when I saw it, and the only thing that came to mind was "Why on earth is this in the middle of a park?" But to someone else this may mean something and I'm just unable to see or feel what they do. It is only art to him and not to me.

In conclusion, I can definitively say there is no definitive definition of art because it is very subjective. What may be art to me may not be art to others and vice versa.