Summer Barn

2006-07-29T13:19:00.000-07:00

What is art?

2006-07-27T13:18:00.000-07:00

Sometimes extreme heat makes it difficult to think, but so do any kind of extreme conditions. I am looking at one of my latest paintings and I am wondering about what makes this art? According to my computer dictionary art is:

art 1 |ärt| noun
1 the expression or application of human creative skill and imagination, typically in a visual form such as painting or sculpture, producing works to be appreciated primarily for their beauty or emotional power : the art of the Renaissance | great art is concerned with moral imperfections | she studied art in Paris. • works produced by such skill and imagination : his collection of modern art | an exhibition of Tibetan art | [as adj. ] an art critic. • creative activity resulting in the production of paintings, drawings, or sculpture : she's good at art.
2 ( the arts) the various branches of creative activity, such as painting, music, literature, and dance : the visual arts | [in sing. ] the art of photography.
3 ( arts) subjects of study primarily concerned with the processes and products of human creativity and social life, such as languages, literature, and history (as contrasted with scientific or technical subjects) : the belief that the arts and sciences were incompatible | the Faculty of Arts.
4 a skill at doing a specified thing, typically one acquired through practice : the art of conversation.

PHRASES art for art's sake used to convey the idea that the chief or only aim of a work of art is the self-expression of the individual artist who creates it.
art is long, life is short proverb there is so much knowledge to acquire that a lifetime is not sufficient.
art of war the strategy, tactics, and techniques of combat.
ORIGIN Middle English : via Old French from Latin ars, art-.art 2 archaic or dialect 2nd person singular present of be .