Masland Library Blog

Dictionary.com defines art as “the quality, production, expression, or realm, according to aesthetic principles, of what is beautiful, appealing, or of more than ordinary significance” (Dictionary 1), but can all these terms truly define what art is? Does art have to be considered beautiful and have more than ordinary significance? Can we assume that art may be something that stimulates a large group of people’s emotions? If so, could we conclude that art is defined as something that is of more than ordinary significance due to its popularity? In other words, can something be considered out of the ordinary even if no want appreciates it?

I believe art can only be defined by an individual’s perspective. For example, I believe that Jackson Pollock’s “Untitled #3” is a work of art while other believes that it is just a bunch of paint splattered randomly on a canvas. In addition, it can also be seen that art can be considered something that stimulates our way of thinking. When I look at this painting, I think of a variety of things. For example, I think of the hardships of life. The splatters represent the random and sporadic hardships that an individual faces daily each day in life while the black base represents us as individuals trying to prosper through the hardships that constantly build if we attempt to avoid them. In other words, I believe that this painting represents what happens to those who run from their hardships. It becomes so much chaos that all of the small hardships of life have accumulated and transformed into one big issue that can only be resolved by gradually sorting through and resolving each individual hardship that created this monster of an issue.

In conclusion, I believe that our individual perspective of what is beautiful and what is of interest defines what art is. I also believe that art can also be an appreciation of something that we are unable to do. For example, some people are able to appreciate the fact that Muay Thai is not just a system of combat but an art. In conclusion, I believe that art is something that is able to define us as well as God about who we are.

~Dan Champa