The Art of Art(pt. 2): The Art

So what does it take to be an "artist?" Many people would say that to be an artist, you have to be someone that makes "art." What exactly does it mean to make "art" though? For that matter, what is "art?" I'll say it now before you keep reading, I don't know, but one thing I do know is that no one knows.


Art is supposed to be subjective. It's supposed to be open ended and accessible to anyone that wants to engage it. This hasn't stopped people from trying to define it and control it though. Artists like Mondrian and Warhol have tried to define what art is, and what its future will be. Art critics, professors and journalists have also tried to create a method of determining what is art and what is not.

I can't express how confused I was when I took my first art classes in college. Around the third week of class, my painting professor told us "Art isn't about inspiration, its about making a product, if you wait for inspiration you won't get anything done." A semester or two later my Principles of Art professor dropped this gem on me "Art isn't about visuals, it's about the idea and the feeling of the work of art." Finally there is probably my favorite statement by an art professor "You need a narrative for your art, you won't be able to do anything with your art without giving people a story with your work."

Luckily, I'm not the type to listen to a professor and simply believe everything they say, so these comments were all just ignore and I moved on. The same can't be said for other artists I know. I've met far too many artists that have been to art school and simply adopted all the ideals of their professors; both in the creation of their art and their critique of art. As a result, these ideas are spread and become standards, or create a dichotomy between artists who believe their view of art is correct. This doesn't benefit the art community, it just makes it look elitist or clique-ish.

A clear example of this is the separation between "fine" art and other mediums, such as comic books, graphic novels, animation and video games. After about two semesters majoring in fine arts I transferred into the CUNY BA program. I am currently trying to work my way into the world of comics, graphic novels, animation and video games. The reason for my change had a lot to do with the camaraderie I found in this community. It still has its differences in opinions between artists, but their is a much larger sense of support. Outside of this community the art world isn't so kind though. Discussions over whether video games and comics are truly art, and the perception that they are childish or made for children has continued. Once again, all this seems to do is make the art world look elitist.

Most of this won't matter because artists will always create, regardless of criticism, but I still think it's food for thought. Attempting to define and control art yields nothing. It has always been the people who defy these standards that create a more fruitful environment for artists. There shouldn't be standards for making or critiquing art. If you want to make art, make it. If you want to like art, like it.

- Dennis